Last month was the 30 year anniversary of John and I living in our home. So many memories we’ve had here and I hope many more to come.

Yesterday afternoon a first. Something I’d not encountered since living in the quaint village of Elkhart Lake, population 950, since we’ve been here.

As I made my way out the front door with a bag in hand of things I needed to put away in our van camper, I was startled when a mallard duck flew from where it had been sitting just about three feet from the front door between the bushes.

As he flew away it was the brood of little ducklings I saw scramble around the corner of the house, that I grabbed my phone from the kitchen table and shot this video.

I was relieved when I heard mama duck, who was quite boisterous in getting her broods attention to find their way to her again after they’d headed down into our rock garden. It was fun to watch as they scrambled up through the rocks, their little butts waddling as fast as they could to find their way back to mama duck as she led them into the gully of trees behind of my writing cottage.

And back to my intended little project of putting some things away in the van camper I went. As I walked toward the van it’s then I spotted one little duckling who got lost from the pack. I immediately swooped him up and cradled him in my hands as he peeped and peeped.

John wasn’t home and I wasn’t sure what to do. Seeing the neighbor outside I said, “Randy! Randy! It’s a baby duck! The mama went into the gully with the other ducklings but this one was left behind.” 

He agreed I should set the lost duckling in the gully and hopefully the mama would hear it and come find it.

But before I set the sweet little peeper down I had second thoughts. What if he didn’t find his way back? Then what? I didn’t hear a peep from the mama duck or the other ducklings and had no idea where they were now.

So I called my dad’s wife who is a volunteer with the National Wildlife Federation. She would know what I needed to do. Though I was told the same thing. Put him in the gully and let nature take it’s course. And me being me, well that got me all emotional with worry set that he’d not find his way back to his family.

But I set the little peeper into the brush in the gully and hoped for the best. Though my heart felt heavy as I walked back to the front of the house and listened. I could hear him peeping and oh, how that tugged at my heart. It was a few moments later that I saw him waddling among the neighbors flowers along the house, heading toward the street.

Oh no! Now what? So I scooped him up again just as John was driving up our street.

I quickly told him the story. He said, “You have to put him back in the gully. Hopefully he will find his way.” This caused tears to come again as I was concerned. But off I went again and this time a bit further into the gully and gently set him down and wished the little guy luck that all would turn out well.

Within minutes, yup, you guessed it. I’m back at the front of the house and here the little one comes again.

This time John said that perhaps I should take him out into the big field behind our house. There is an overgrown field (perfect for wildlife habitat) between our house and a senior assisted living facility, plus in front of the senior home is a large man made pond. Many Geese live there year round and raise families in the spring. John thought perhaps the mallard duck family had been scared from their home there due to construction around that area.

So off into the field I went behind our garage and set him in some brush and again, looking at his sweet little self, I wished him luck on his travels back home. Though again, he sure was tugging on my heart strings.

We have a little under of an acre of land, so I made my way back to my writing cottage hoping all would turn out well for the little fellow. Typing an email to a friend it was a few moments later I heard a tap, tap on the window right next to where my desk is.

Are you thinking it was the baby duck tapping his beak against the window?

No, but close. It was John. And in his hands? The little peeper! That little rascal somehow found his way out of the field and back into our yard again where John spotted him as he was doing some yard work.

And now John was smitten with the duckling after holding him in his hands. But it wasn’t right to keep him. We had to help him find his way home. It was the right thing to do.

This time I said, “Perhaps I should take him to the pond by the senior assisted living facility.” John agreed and felt that maybe another family would adopt the little one.

Grabbing a shoe box, I gently set the determined little peeper inside and off we went on a short car ride. But long enough that we had a little talk. I told him that I really wasn’t up for being a mama duck, so he’d need to be a big, little duck and find his real family again and I was trying to help him do just that. He continued to peep. Whether in protest or agreement, well, I wasn’t quite sure.

Arriving at the pond, I parked my car and scooped one said little duckling with a mind of his own, into my hands. Walking down the steep embankment it was then I spotted a pair of mallard ducks swimming on the pond and one lone male duck. This just had to be their home, I thought.

Now where to set him so he had his best chance of making his way over to them. I finally settled on a spot right in front of the windows of the senior facility that looked out over the pond. Setting him down close to the edge of the water, I said, “This is your best shot, little one,” and again wished him well as I ran back up the hill in hopes he wouldn’t follow me.

I quickly glanced back at one point to make sure he’d not followed and saw him still sitting at the waters edge.

In a way I wish I knew the end of the story. But I don’t and I have to be okay with that. I did the best I could for the wee little peeper. The rest was up to him. Though a part of me was at first upset with myself for getting emotional about it all, it was then that I realized again it’s just who I am. And that little fellow was perhaps really quite smart as he knew I’d be the one who would go the extra mile to help him find his way home.

And for that I can feel good and trust that nature indeed did take its course….along with the help of one sentimental woman who just had to try and help the best she knew how.

Thanks for reading!

XO,

Barbara