What the duck? Bird spotted with baby’s pacifier in its mouth

By Izzy Hawksworth via SWNS

Passers-by were forced to do a double take after spotting a mallard duck swimming on a pond - with a baby's pacifier in its beak.

Photographs taken of the bizarre scene show the show ducks playing with the pacifier before one mallard picks it up with its beak.

The photos were captured on January 10 at Haslam Park in Preston, Lancs,. by photographer Andrew Bradley, 64.

And while he found the photos 'funny', he thinks they show the effects littering can have on wildlife.

He said: "I thought it was a bread crust at first but I picked up my camera to look what it was and realized it was a dummy.

"It did look a bit rusty, so it's obviously been in the water for quite a long time.

"It's a funny photo but it shows the harm of what littering can do to the wildlife.

"The dummy was probably thrown by a youngster from their pram so you can't blame an adult for that.

"The plastic doesn't go anyway so it will have been there for a long time."

Andrew also witnessed the ducks fight each other for the pacifier before the animals realized it was actually inedible.

The retired aircraft fitter said: "The duck was swimming about with it, dropped it and then another duck picked it up.

"As soon as the duck realized it wasn't food, it dropped the dummy again.

"But one of them fully picked it up and spun the dummy round so was actually in its mouth.

"It was swimming around for a good few minutes and then it dropped it.

"I've never seen anything like this before, it's a one-in-a-million shot for me."