My last post was about how to raise a Mallard duck. Now I am going to write about how she took flight and became independent. I will be able to dispel the myth that surrounds taking care of wildlife, in that they become dependent on you for life and lose their wild instincts. And I will show how one of the most beautiful things you can do for a wounded animal, is to rehabilitate it and return it to the wild. I was so lucky to have this experience, even if I didn’t know it at the time.
You see, Georgie was a different duck, a very special Mallard who wanted to survive against all odds. And she did. I raised her from a chick that was a few days old, into a beautiful healthy bird. I thought that she would be with me for life, as I tried to let her go a couple times, and she would come back. People would even tell me it’s because I needed to leave her somewhere at a lake where she would just learn to adjust. I could never imagine just dumping her like that, and there are laws to protect Mallards from people who do such things. But Georgie knew when it was time for her to leave, and that day was October 11th 2023.
We had gone for a walk around the very lake where I was given her. She foraged there almost everyday when she was younger, but as she grew older, I knew one day all the training I gave her would come in when she needed it the most, because at heart, she was still wild. She had many opportunities before, but on this day the 11th of October, she sat up and looked out of the window from her carrier, and it was an unmistakable knowing. It gave me goosebumps to see her remember this place, at exactly this day and time. It made no sense to me. After all it was raining, why on this day did she decide she wanted to leave? Why leave a warm home with a steady flow of the best food? But I asked her, ” Is it time baby?” “I can let you go if you want to go”. “I won’t keep you. if this is where you belong.” It was hard and yet I felt at peace about it at the same time. I go to the lake everyday anyway. But what if I never saw her again? I had to just accept that my job was done and that I brought her to her destiny to raise the next generation.
I rolled down the window in the car. She didn’t move, as if she was contemplating her decision. It was like she was thinking the same thing as me. I drove slowly by the the lake and stopped. Then with the utmost of grace, she flew high up over the lake with her whistle in the air from her wings. I was so proud. I left the lake went home and did some work and thought… well maybe I should check in with her this afternoon in case she changed her mind? But when I came back in the afternoon, I was amazed by what I saw.
The sun had come out by this time and there was even a rainbow. It turned into the perfect day afterall. And as I looked out over the beautiful glistening lake, there were hundreds of mallards swimming about. It was like a class reunion, and Georgie knew the time and date. It was one of the few times in my life where I was so happy because I allowed myself to be guided by something I couldn’t explain, because I had the courage to just let go. I sure wish I could do that more often. I called for Georgie, and she came swimming across the water quacking, like she was my child I was picking up from swim lessons. But this time she didn’t come alone. She had already found a mate, or at least he was hoping she would pick him, because he was following her every move. He did end up staying with her, so we named him Harold. She got out of the water and stood by me, tilting her head like usual and listening to me asking her if she was having a good time. Georgie had unmistakable markings on her bill when she grew older that made her very identifiable.
I could rest easy now, because I now know that everything I read about Mallards being raised by humans, and being imprinted on and every other bull crap story that said you couldn’t release a wild Mallard raised in captivity was a myth. My Mallard hung out with my dog. She slept on the bed with us, ate dinner at the same time, swam in the bathtub, and had stayed with us in the camper all summer, but at the end of the day she was still wild! Mallards are very instinctual birds and there is nothing you can do to take that away from them. They can love you with all their heart, but they will still leave to forge their own path. I taught her to swim, to dive, to forage and to fly. And she has done well. She grew up to be a part of the dwindling mallard population, that is down by 23% according to the study done for fish and wildlife by the Waterfowl Survey and 36% were estimated by conservation government groups for the 1st time in history. At least now she will go on to have babies of her own that she will teach. And that is really incredible when you think that a Mallard has less than a 10% chance of survival until it reaches flight status, and then only a 50% chance of living out their first year into adulthood. Given statistics like that, you can see why the numbers are declining.
Still, I wanted to make sure she makes it to adulthood. So I come by to feed her everyday. She leads the flock over to get her duck pellets and cracked corn, and there are now 4 of us that have fed the 300 ducks that come to the lake. I am not the only one! I have found other friends who have done exactly what I have done, and together we have been hoping to get them to the breeding season at Summer lake unharmed. Most people thank us, but some very negative people stop and tell us we are harming the ducks by feeding them and that they will grow dependent. I just tell them not to believe everything you read.
until next time…
~L
A Camper Girls Life. 