Tuesday, July 21, 2009

The Duck In The Creek

I left you yesterday as a lone little duck took a thrilling leap off the edge of a dam. After its worried pacing back and forth at the top of the dam, and its distressed sounding cries, it threw itself off the edge. This poor little creature's fate was completely unknown... UNTIL NOW!

The lone little duck wasn't alone after all! It was actually a mother, and this mother's babies were waiting for it in the water at the bottom of the dam. If you look very closely at the picture that shows the mother duck's leap of faith, you will find two of the babies visible at the edges of the tall grass.

It's a very happy ending to part one of my story. This has been told in two parts because it happened in two parts for me too. I didn't see the babies until the duck splashed into the water and swam a little closer. The picture above was my first glimpse of the mother and her little ones.

That's when it all became clear. The distressed quacking and the nervous pacing was just a mother duck keeping her kids all in one place. She was watching them and telling them not to go far. She was probably pacing so she could find a good spot to land without hurting them. The quacking sounds were just duck language commands for the young ones to behave.

As you can see, the mother and all eight of the little ducklings were fine after she jumped down to meet them. The family was reunited and ready to move along their way. The children obediently lined up right behind their mom so she could lead them to their destination.

At times they formed a tight little group so they could navigate this little creek at the bottom of the dam. It hasn't rained very hard here in some time, so this creek is very shallow right now. At other times the lake can flood over the side and turn this peaceful little creek into a raging river.

In a shallow creek like this there are many obstacles. Things like branches or old boards block the way, and they have to make their way past. The water becomes so shallow in some places that the mother and even the babies have to wade through the water instead of swimming. This must have been a great adventure for these little ones.

All too soon, as I watched this family of ducks, they swam down the creek into an area hidden by trees. They were now out of sight, and I haven't seen them since. What at first seemed very strange and maybe distressing, turned out to be a story of a happy little family of ducks.

Update!!!

As I write this, I have just returned from this very same place. It seems that this whole incident may just be the normal routine for this family of ducks. I went back to there and found what looked like the same duck right back on top of the dam.

I waited for it to leap down again, but it didn't want me to see it happen this time. I looked for the babies, but all I saw was another female duck swimming in the creek below. I didn't see them last time either, so they were probably well hidden in the weeds while they waited for their mom.

As I was walking away, I heard the familiar sound of a splash behind me in the creek. I didn't go back. There was more adventure up ahead, and I was soon going to find it.

16 comments:

  1. Enjoyed this quack of a tail - interesting that mom duck could round up the kids and keep order just by squawking out commands. Nature has its own ways that we often do not understand.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Whew...I'm so glad the jump wasn't fatal like what I've seen in that first picture.

    A very happy family story..

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice ending!!! :) I had to come back and make sure the ducky was ok!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hooray for happy endings (and more adventures to come)!

    ~Jen

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes!!! You have controlled the ending well. I definitely love it. The mother, the ducklings, they need each other.

    ReplyDelete
  6. oh, what a very happy ending, i love it :) moms (and dads too) are heroes, they take leap of faith for their babies. what a very inspiring story.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great story! I'm glad it had a happy ending and I love your pictures of the little family. So cute!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a relief that the mother duck wasn't hurt. How lucky to have seen the whole event. I get the impression we may be in for another of your famous cliff hanger stories tomorrow. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. This was my favorite story so far Ratty!! So cute and you got some great photos!!! Well done!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Awww, I love baby ducks. They are all over the pond in front of my home, walking across the street with their moms on their way to who knows where.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ha!
    I called it!
    Glad I was right and it is a normal routine for her and that they are all safe!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm so glad this ducky adventure had a happy ending. I was so worried that duck might have been hurt in the jump.
    The photos of the little ones are great, the babies are so cute. Thanks for sharing this wonderful story with us Ratty.

    ReplyDelete
  13. A very nice happy ending Ratty, I think the duck mom can apply for Quentin Tarantino's movie "KILL DUCK" :D

    ReplyDelete
  14. Mike - I think animals have their own languages they use just as humans do. I think we will begin to learn the more we look and listen.
    -

    Icy BC - I think the jump looked much clumsier than it actually was. Maybe the mother was in more control than she seemed to be.
    -

    Cali-delights - Nature gives me very many stories like that. I hope you read even more of them in the future. :)
    -

    JStantonChandler - I hope all of the endings are happy. Sometimes they go the other way, but this one was very good.
    -

    Rainfield - The duck family does definitely need each other, and they seem to have a good home there.
    -

    Betchai - Maybe that mother duck can teach everybody a good lesson.
    -

    Ashley - I was glad I got to be there for those pictures, and the adventure of the ducks.
    -

    Ann - I was very tempted to do another cliffhanger. I think I might begin to drive everyone insane if I do too many.
    -

    Ginnymo - Thanks. I was glad the ducks swam close enough for me to get the pictures to tell the story.
    -

    Dr. Lauren - Baby ducks and all other babies are my favorite. It's fun to watch these animal families, especially these birds.
    -

    The Retired One - You sure did call it! I didn't guess it when it happened, but it made perfect sense when I saw the babies.
    -

    SquirrelQueen - For some reason it didn't occur to me that she would be hurt by the fall. I thought she might already be hurt. I'm glad it was just a mom being a mom.
    -

    VanillaSeven - Maybe he can give the duck a machine gun and she can mow down vampire ducks with it. That would be a strange movie, just his kind. :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Ratty- This is too strange! I have never known a duck that jumped off a dam. There must be a real story in here... like a children's book or something.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sharkbytes - This seems to be this duck's normal routine. It did it again the last time I was there, although I only heard it this time. I wonder how many other times it has done it. I think this family started out on the lake side of the dam. Maybe the babies fell off the side or something.

    ReplyDelete