Burnley’s very own ‘Duck-tor’ Doolittle

Les Grimshaw (67) began feeding them when he moved into his home seven years ago. What began as a flock of five or six “nervous” ducks has since flourished to include pigeons, seagulls and, on the odd occasion, Canadian Geese. In the past, Les has even fed up to 50 ducks at one time.

The birds gather three times a day by residents and have been known to hover outside homes, tapping on windows to attract attention.

The birds have even adopted pet-like behaviour. Following a fortnight’s holiday, during which they were fed by a neighbour, Les returned to find himself snubbed for a month.

Knowing them by sight, Les noted some of them are missing legs - these, he explained, are braver than the others, coming closer to the window, and are always fed first.