One spring day I walked out the back door and noticed one of our female ducks acting super weird. She had isolated herself from the others and was walking about a certain area in the backyard with several of her little ones “quacking.” As I moved in closer I could see that she didn’t respond normally by hitting 5th gear escaping into the water but was hesitant before herding the two remaining ducklings to safety. It was a rough season for her as she had started with around 10 ducklings or so and now was only down to two, so I assumed she was just being emotional. I return on my course and accomplished whatever it was I had previously sought out to do and once again I noticed she had returned to same spot acting weird and wouldn’t shut up.
This time I move in closer to investigate and as I do so I start to hear I muffled chirp, chirp….chirp, chirp. “One, two…both little ones swimming with mom, so what is this other noise I hear?” I bend down and follow the noise, now intrigued and noticed that the grass had covered a hole in the ground that one of the ducklings had fallen into and gotten stuck. Momma duck, helpless without a thumb, couldn’t reach in and save her baby and was therefore circling this spot as they called back and forth to each other. So being the gentle hero that I am, I reach in pull the little guy out and watch peacefully as mother and baby reunite…
They begin a victory lap around the pond, baby close by mother’s side. Not going to lie, I felt accomplished and that I did my good deed for the day and as I’m about to turn to head back inside a huge fish surfaces at eats the baby!!! Momma flips out and starts swimming in circles; my mouth is open in disbelief. Did that really just happen…? Final destination for the little guy. (but mystery was solved as to what happen to his brother and sisters!?)
Sometimes life is like that. We climb out of one hole only to enter into a bigger one… so I went and got my fishing pole and used the others as bait, JK JK JK JK!
