We adopted a duckling in July this past summer, and what an unusually rewarding experience it was.
I was outside talking with a friend when this little Mallard duckling jumped out of the bushes and came running down the sidewalk. From her size, she was probably only a few days old. We tried to herd her back to her family in the bushes, but she kept launching herself right back out again. Cheep cheep cheep cheep. Mama Duck didn’t seem the least bit interested, anxious or attentive. Evidently, mother ducks teach their ducklings the basics (shelter, food, water), and leave them about a week later to fend for themselves.
Against my better judgment, we kept her. She was perfect for children’s portraits, and we got some great photographs as a result.
She liked to sit on one of our shoulders, or in the palm of our hands. She just sat there, content and cheepy. If she ran around and lost sight of us, she panicked and started cheeping until she found us again. If we took her outside, she was never more than five feet from either one of us.
About a month later she had grown into a real, full-size duck and we sent her to live on a friend’s farm with other ducks. We felt like lousy parents– like we were sending our wayward child to military school– but everything went great and she made new friends right away. So cute.
by John
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