Short take: somebody found a single duckling that appears to be one day old two blocks away from Botany Pond. I don’t know what happened to the rest of the brood. When I came down to feed Honey’s brood, a bunch of people were gathered around the channel. There was a sodden duckling in it.
Apparently someone brought the duckling to the pond, and somebody tried to stick it with Honey’s brood to “integrate it”. Well, that won’t work with a one-day-old baby and two-week old juveniles. First the juveniles and then Honey tried to attack it. Then they removed it from the brood and dropped it in the channel, where I found it, surrounded by people.
I immediately grabbed it, dried it off, and put it in a box with clean tee shirts, water, and food. This little guy/girl, whom I’ll call Sammy (either Samuel or Samantha) is resting in my house under a warm lightbulb until I see who I can find to rehabilitate it. The duckling is VERY vigorous, leaping about and grabbing my lip with its bill, all while peeping copiously.
UPDATE: Chicago Bird Collision Monitors will take it on Friday morning to the Willowbrook Wildlife Sanctuary or to someone who has lots of experience rehabbing waterfowl.
Duck farming isn’t easy!
Meet Sam:
This one is a demon. He runs all about, and then suddenly conks out. When I try to put him in his box when he’s tired, he peeps piteously and won’t stop until I pick him up and put him on my chest. He likes to sleep underneath my hand, as if it were the stomach of his mom.
Like this:
Although I don’t know any wild fowl we have center in or near Chicago, I found a reliable-looking one through the Bing search-engine: https://www.birdmonitors.net/WildlifeCenters.php
On Wednesday, May 20, 2020, Why Evolution Is True wrote:
> whyevolutionistrue posted: “Short take: somebody found a single duckling > that appears to be one day old two blocks away from Botany Pond. I don’t > know what happened to the rest of the brood. When I came down to feed > Honey’s brood, a bunch of people were gathered around the channel. ” >
Oh no. What a cute little fellow. Might Dorothy adopt it?
I wouldn’t try; the consequences could be dire.
Hi Jerry, best of luck with your new friend.
Marc will be jealous if I tell him about Sammy! He wants an animal too: yesterday he had an empty bran cereal box to set a trap to catch a chipmunk!
He wanted to “… take him to my room and nap with him!” Kinda just like you and Sammy!
Is size the only reason Sammy got rejected?
Scott
Good grief! Just when we hoped the heron had moved on and thought that things on Botany Pond were going to settle down, the drama steps up a notch…!
Looks like this guy may be around for a while.
Awww, Sure wish I could take on the little peeper but I’m way out west. Hope you find someone before the little one bonds to you.
The little one was incredibly fortunate to end up in your pond at that particular time. No proof of g*d though I might give some credence to Dame Fortuna.
There’s a nature center that rehabs animals in the west suburbs called Willowbrook Wildlife Center. They typically will take in migrating birds from window collisions, as well as various animals that are hit by cars and take care of them. Since a Mallard is a relatively common species, I am not sure if they have the space, but it may be worth checking in.
They are short of space but I think I can squeeze it in, and if not an experienced person who rehabbed waterfowl at Willowbrook will take it. I have him/her till Friday morning. It’s an adorable little thing, and very vigorous!
Hooray!
Just a thought…although I don’t need it, will be getting a hair cut Friday.
Good that you’ve found a new home for Sammie.
Yes, great to see i update.
Sammie is darling and very fortunate to find a savior in you! 🥰
What’s he/she eating?
Crushed mealworms and crushed duckling pellets
That’s just ducky 😉 Glad you rescued Sam. Be super careful with warming with a lamp. It is easy for your patient to get overheated. Working in a lab setting with convalescing animals we found that placing lamp only at one end allowed them to self regulate where they needed to be.
Don’t worry, the his box has bulb oer the top and it’s warm but not hot inside.
Lucky, lucky you!! Just as well you found it, sounds like it would have died in the water. Hope it all goes well.
Do what the little ducky wants, PCC. It is only until Friday.
Do you think the duckling was the off spring of the hen and drake that visited earlier? The lucky duck. It doesn’t realise the place he landed was a duckling specialty area.
Never a dull moment at the Botany Pond!
“I try to put him in his box when he’s tired, he peeps piteously and won’t stop until I pick him up and put him on my chest. He likes to sleep underneath my hand, as if it were the stomach of his mom.”
Word sure gets out fast, when the world’s best Duck Dad is known to the neighborhood!