A ‘mama’ duck caused quite the stir when she took her brood on a hike through the streets of Seaford, East Sussex on 11 July. East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service were called to the junction of Princess Drive and Beacon Drive in Seaford where they found the mother duck leading her five ducklings around the town.
Plan of action
While the plan was simple, return the duck family to their pond, rescuers were worried about spooking the mother. When birds get spooked, they can just abandon their babies. Rescue Coordinator Trevor Weeks said:
These rescues are always difficult and trying to balance the disturbance to humans and the welfare of the mum and ducklings is difficult. She knows where she wants to go we just need to get her there safely.
As such the rescuers settled on following the duck family back to their home. The ducks happily plodded along as rescuers had to stop the traffic and clear the route ahead.
Success
The route which took about an hour to walk took the mum and ducklings from Princess Drive back into Blatchington Pond off Sutton Drove. While this hike may appear pretty extravagant, apparently it’s relatively common. The wildlife rescue service added:
It is common for ducks to nest in gardens and walk their young to ponds once they are several days old, as gardens are generally safer places to nest than at ponds and river.
Nothing like a brisk afternoon walk before tea time. Hats off to the great rescue effort by the team at East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service. Find out more about their invaluable work here.
Featured image of a family of ducks. Photo: Pixabay
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