You can tell we're smack dab in the middle of Spring here in our neighborhood. Remember those muscovies and mallards? Well they have made their nests, the eggs are hatching and now the babies are emerging.
S-P-R-I-N-G!
You can't drive down a street in our neighborhood without having to stop for a mama and babies crossing the street. The mallard babies are first and the muskovies will follow in a few weeks.
We have been taking daily walks to check on the little mallards. Yesterday we found this little fellow all by himself and squalking up a storm in the gutter next to the street with no mama in sight. Against much pleading by my youngest to take him home, we went home sans duckling to have lunch with the promise that in an hour or so we would come back to check on him. Sure enough, an hour and a half later, he was still alone, squalking, but this time was right in the middle of a busy intersection. It was cold and drizzly and he was shivering, so we scooped him up, brought him home, and put him under a heat lamp. I wasn't sure if he would make it, but he perked right up and drank some water. The older boys got home from school and found a few slugs to feed him.
After he was feeling a little better, we tried to take him back to the area we found him and send him off with another duck family. (I was so hoping that he would get adopted in.) But it didn't work. The mama (yes, that mama in the photo) actually ran him off.
We ended up calling Wildlife Rescue who said that this time of year they are inundated with calls about baby ducks and could we keep him overnight until they could pick him up. I was almost scared to peek into his box this morning, hoping he would still be alive. But, our little duck was peeping and pecking all around this morning. Wildlife Rescue picked him up a few hours ago, headed to a rehabilitator who has several other ducklings.
We are a bit sad even though we know this is the best thing for him.
But grateful for the opportunity to see him up close. Grateful for the opportunity to care for him, even for a short while. Good luck to you baby duck!