Every summer, I hear the quacking of a duck beneath my window,
under a large bush. After a week or so the quacking stops.
But this summer was different, after 16 years of gigantic tree growth and
bushes so tall they reach my windows.
The owner of this apartment complex decided to rectify all the growth and
hired a crew to chop and cut down all this nasty overgrowth. I thought, fine.
About time.
But in spite of all the chopping and hammering noise, I suddenly began to hear
a quacking under my window. I ran out to look and there she was, this beautiful
duck with her 4 beautiful babies, under my bush.
I ran to the noisy crew and told them they were frightening the mother and her
babies. They promised they wouldn't go near the bush until she delivered her
babies.
Each day, I broke up pieces of bread and put a pan of water under the “mother
bush.”
Suddenly I saw only the mother duck, quacking nervously. I searched for the
babies, but they were no where to be seen. I called to one of the workmen and
asked him if he saw the babies. He walked me a short distance away from the
mother and he knelt down on the ground and put his ear over the sewer grate
which had holes all over the top. In his accent, he said look there's the mother
duck and pointed down over the sewer.
I became panicked when I realized he was telling me the babies were down in
the sewer. The noise of all the machinery must have frightened them. Mother
duck was distraught, she kept quacking and looking at the grate.
I ran inside, grabbed my cell phone and called the fire department which was a
block away. They said no, no, they couldn't come.
After trying another fire department, I got the same response. Desperately I
dialed 911 and managed to get a woman with a heart. I told her if she didn't
send someone to rescue these babies, I'm going to drop dead right on this spot.
Within five minutes a gigantic police van pulled into my street. Two wonderful
policemen managed to lift the heavy iron grate off the sewer. They had a pole
with a net on the bottom, the kind fishermen use to pull up crabs. With a
flashlight they kept trying to look into that black sewer hole, and finally managed
to see one of the little baby ducks. They lifted it out and brought it to the
mother duck. At least she has one, I thought sadly.
When I got in touch with the wild life society, and they told me to stop feeding
the ducks or they would never leave, and never learn to fend for themselves.
After three days, the mother and lone duck were gone. The sewers run across
the highway to the golf course a block away. My hope is that the other three
crossed the sewer and wound up at that golf course which has a pond. Where
perhaps they were re united with their mother.
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This is a true story.
Such a sweet story of nature and the pitfalls of outdoor living.
*
Good story, sensitive and caring. It's saddening to see how our careless modifications of their habitat cause other animals to suffer. And it is amazing how many of them adapt and survive. I think the mother duck and 'her 4 beautiful babies' will really dig the golf course landscaping and pond.
Poor ducks! I agree with JMC and Susan. If you happen to see them again, do post a follow up!
doubt if I will see those four again. They only come when they are pregnant.
A new mother may show up next summer.
Charming story. Reminds me of a Marge Piercy poem about saving a gull. Feels like "sunrise in the belly" when you do a good deed for the critters. True story? Good for you! *
I like your story, Estelle. Good piece.
Jack thanks for liking my good dead.
Also, Sam, many thanks to you.
aw. so sad. I love it though.
You retold this nicely, with a gentle touch. Your hope is my hope. *
thank you Foster for feeling as I do.