Duck Rescue, the real story (see below)

Yesterday I posted a duck rescue story written in Children's story form. Here is what really happened.

I was downstairs talking to my parents about plans for the day when Tony dashed in from outside. "Come quick! There's a duck that can't fly!" he told us all in a rush. We followed him up the stairs while trying to calm him down all the while. Tony led us to the storm drain at the edge of our property where, sure enough a female mallard duck paced back and forth quacking.

She saw us coming and, if a duck can do this, she bared her beak at us trying to protect her babies. I peered through the grate and found five brand new ducklings huddled together atop a pile of maple seeds, leaves and other road wash near the top of the drain.

I thought I could reach them so carefully I put my hand through and managed to get a hold of one little duckling. I brought him up and let him loose next to his mommy. She looked him over and started to waddle away. Quickly I grabbed the second little fellow and released him. The mama duck eagerly accepted him as well.

Now she began her trek back to the pond in earnest. I wondered if she thought she had her brood now that two little ducklings trailed after her.

My parents, Angelo and Tony had gathered around. Angelo went back to call the city, while Tony ran for an orange bucket. My dad and I lifted the heavy grate over the drain and discussed what to do. When I had reached for the second duckling the other three had jumped from the pile of debris and disappeared into the pipe at the bottom of the drain. We could hear them peeping from somewhere under the road.

Finally one of them climbed back out, and by maneuvering the bucket between the little duckling and the pipe, my dad lured the little one into the bucket. He handed it to me and I carried it across the street to the house next door where Mama Duck and her two babies had taken refuge under a tree. I let number three go and he hurried to his mama.

She then let her three charges out from under the tree and across the street toward the pond.

Meanwhile I was back at the storm drain with the bucket where my dad was doing his best to keep the other two from disappearing back into the pipe.

We caught number four and I hurried him over to his family. By now Mama Duck was nearing the pond. When she heard her number four peeping, she stopped and came toward me. I let number four jump from my hands and hurry to his mom.

Number five was a problem. He had seen what happened to his siblings, and he wasn't about to be caught himself. We all wondered how long we were going to keep this up. Mama Duck, herself seemed to have abandoned her last babies by taking the others to the pond.

But while we wondered if number five was a lost cause, we knew we couldn't give up. So with a little patience and quick hands, we finally captured the squirming number five and unceremoniously landed him in the bucket.

As mom and I started toward the pond with the peeping, scared little duckling, we saw a lone female duck flying low in our direction. She saw us and dropped to the pavement. I brought out the little duckling, not sure if this was Mama duck. The little one peeped pitifully. Mama Duck quacked a couple times. Again the little ball of fluff peeped, and mama duck answered.

Have you ever seen a little duckling barely 36 hours old jump? This one did. There was no way it was going to stay in my hands. He dropped to the ground and hurried to his mama. She looked him over, quacked at him a couple times, and then carefully led him back to the safety of the pond.

It was a touching sight, mama duck and little duckling walking together across the street to the pond. It was the scene that brings tears to your eyes, you know? Especially after realizing that while we thought that Mama Duck had abandoned her baby, she had no intention of leaving her babies behind. She had only led the others to the safety of the pond before coming back to help the last one.

It turned an ordinary day into a very special one.