It was Saturday morning when John and Pam Szczesniak first noticed the ducks in their pool.  A pair of wild mallards had flown in for their morning swim.  The male, whom Pam later named “Ricky,” was so brilliantly colored and perfectly shaped that he almost looked like a doll or wood carving.  Lucy, the female mallard, seemed to enjoy their newly found “pond” since it was peaceful, safe, and was so private with the lush green landscaping and wooden fence.  It was an ideal place to start a family. 

Ricky came and went, as most males do, while Lucy was content to stay…only leaving the pool area once or twice a day.

For John and Pam, it was a novelty having ducks in their backyard.  And being animal lovers, it never crossed their minds to chase them away.  Until one day John noticed the nest…with just 3 eggs.  Of course then it was too late to encourage Ricky and Lucy to find a more suitable locale.  And before long there were nearly a dozen eggs in that tiny nest under the palm tree.  When all the eggs were laid, Lucy began her long vigil on the nest.

Mallards are known for making nests in the most unlikely places, like on baseball fields or right in your front yard.  And since ducks won’t follow the nest if it is moved (it’s illegal to move the nest anyway), it is best to leave the nest alone and protect it as well as possible.

The nest is usually situated under dense vegetation and is made of leaves and grasses and lined with down.  The female tends the nest alone, and the male usually leaves when this incubation period begins.  The eggs hatch in 27-30 days.

Wednesday, April 4th, was the big day.  Lucy began moving around more under the palm tree and refused to leave the nest, even when Ricky was in the pool.  Two days later John saw the first duckling in the nest, sitting next to mom, and before long there were 4 more.  And what a pleasant surprise when John and Pam woke up on Saturday morning to the sight of 11 ducklings swimming in the pool!  They were proud as grandparents.

Lucy was a very protective mother, and the ducklings followed her everywhere, that is, when they weren’t busy catching bugs and playing “keep away.”  John laughed as their agility at dashing and darting reminded him of a hockey game in action.  Many hours could slip by just watching new events unfold before him.Life was wonderful, and John and Pam began wondering if there was anything they could do to help the mother care for the ducklings, in the way of food or nourishment.  And how should they go about helping Lucy escort her family to the nearest lake? 

It was during this timeframe that they learned about the DFW Wildlife Coalition and our network of knowledgeable birders and wildlife rehabilitators.  Armed with useful information, John and Pam began to make plans for their upcoming “release.”

It was that Friday evening when the tornadoes and storms hit the Dallas/Fort Worth area.  The wind picked up and the neighborhood sirens began to sound.  Lucy gathered the ducklings around her and under her wings.  Then the hail started and pelted down all around them, as Lucy sat patiently, staring up at the sky with wings draped over her babies.  John and Pam thought the hail would never stop.  Twenty minutes seemed like an eternity.  Lucy coaxed the ducklings closer if they tried to get out.  With the dark skies, wind, and rain, it was difficult to see if the family was alright.  John later referred to Lucy as his “hero” because of her steadfast dedication to her ducklings in the face of such danger.

When the skies cleared, the ducklings were back in the pool, but as the day progressed, it was obvious that all was not well.  John didn’t know if it was from being cold and wet or from hailstone injuries, but one of the ducklings became lethargic.  John called the Coalition hotline again, and the volunteer put them in touch with two wildlife rehabilitators.  Both of them advised him to bring everyone indoors, including Lucy, and keep them warm overnight.

Unfortunately, by morning one of the ducklings died, and John and Pam decided to gather everyone up and take them to the Rogers Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Hutchins, where they could be monitored and cared for if necessary.

I recently spoke with a volunteer at Rogers Wildlife to find out what happened to Lucy and her babies.  I am happy to report that Lucy and her ducklings are fine.  In fact Lucy is now a surrogate mother to over 50 orphaned ducklings of various ages.  She and her brood will be released in about a month when all of the ducklings are older and able to fly.

Although John and Pam would probably not trade-in their brief experience with Lucy and Ricky, we at the DFW Wildlife Coalition encourage callers to try to deter such encounters in their own backyards. Ducklings can become trapped in the skimmers, and could even die of overexposure or drown if they are unable to get out of the pool and onto dry land.

The simplest way to prevent ducks from landing in your pool in the first place is to float several beach balls or other floating toys in your pool. Their constant motion will discourage the ducks. If your pool will not be in use for awhile, or if you are away on vacation, use your pool cover, or put some bricks on the pool steps so small ducklings, and other wildlife, for that matter, can get out of the pool on their own.