Danglish

Some of the best things in life have happened to me in the midst of the unpredictablilty of nature. I was terrified of tornados when I was about ten. Later that year, I was in a tornado that cured my fear and caused a great obsession with them. I went scuba diving once only to be threatened by a shark that was used to people feeding it all the time. The thrill of that dive made it the best of my life (right off the coast of NC, even). Then there was this time, that me and my dad went fishing off the shore of Nags Head, KDH and Kitty Hawk. It was right before I moved to DK and the water was electric with fish. On that day my dad and I were charged by two huge whales coming straight for us. As they approached my dads 17 foot Whaler they appeared on both sides spitting air while sending my dad and I in complete amazement. On the boat ride home we were met by what I thought was a great white. Later, after doing further research, we found out it was only a basking shark (no wonder it didn't have sharp teeth). Still, I have never seen that much sea life on top of the water before in my 30 years of fishing. Nature both calms me and brings me to life. If I didn't mind pain so much and didn't fear spiders, I would love to be the next Steve Irwin.

Recently I was allowed to experience one of these occassions with my husband. It was one of those days where I was utterly bored from being jobless. He was cooking dinner and I was pacing the kitchen floor. Suddenly, from out our window on the third floor, I heard a, "PEEP, PEEP, PEEP, PEEP." I looked at Simon and asked if he heard something that sounded like a baby bird. He said no, but as we investagated our roof we were shocked to find a baby duck running to and fro in our gutter. CRIKEY! What were we to do? As we panicked and opened a window the poor little bird lept off our building. I just looked at Simon and pretty much gave up. Simon, on the other hand, was having none of my attitude. Instead he ran out the door while I waddled after. When he got down to the bottom of Billesborg's stairs we both saw the yellow puff on the ground...not moving. Simon ran, picked up and gave it to me. The poor little chic just stared at me in great shock. I hate even thinking this, but I was actually wondering if it would be best if Simon took care of it. Simon, however, thought it might have a chance and told me to hold on to it. Suddenly, again, "PEEP, PEEP, PEEP." We heard another one, but this one was coming from the ground. Simon began to search again for possibly a second baby duck that had attempted flight. Meanwhile, my little baby, had heard his brother or sister and also began to cry out. I was thinking the entire time, "Where is your momma? Did she abandon yawl?" It was actually pretty difficult for me to be witnessing all of this, but I guessed it was better to be helping than letting nature take it's course. (I'm glad they saved that polar bear in Berlin.)

After a couple of minutes, Simon found the second baby duck. He had slid down the gutter pipes into a underground drain. Simon had to lift a huge lid out of the ground and scoop it up with a net. Now we had two baby ducks and had to think about what to do.

Simon told me to go up and look up how to nuture and care for baby ducks on the internet while he went around Billesborg looking for more. I went up to our apartment and provided an old wooden box for them. Then I shredded some cucumber, gave them some water and made a nest for them from an old pillow. I could see that the one that had slid down the pipe was a little healthier than the one that had jump off the roof, but both were really happy to see each other. I got both of the ducklings to drink when Simon came in with a third. At this point, I had become pretty dag on attached and could tell my motherly insticts were rushing in.

I told Simon he had to call Falck (the equivalent of the fire dept. or animal control in the states) but at the same time I was dreaming of raising them in my garden. Simon said this was a bad idea since we would be starting to raise something else in a couple of weeks. I agreed and we phoned Falck who encouraged us to wait it out. They said that the birds had a great chance of finding their momma again, but that meant we had to leave them alone outside to do this. Flashes of foxes, cats, dogs, and mean birds called magpies raced through my head. But I knew the best thing that we could do is just what the Falckman said, but I'll be dag gone if I am not going to sit there and guard the poor things from a distance. And that's just what I did.

First, we started in the park, behind Billesborg. Dinner was still cooking in the house so as I sat in the school part of Billesborg staring out the window at the peepers, Simon went up and finished our meal. After about 30 minutes of them calling to momma from the pillow nest and her not answering, we moved them to the front of Billesborg right in the middle of an unaccessible driveway. We ate our dinner while we watched from the stairs. O, they were apeeping, but momma wasn't acoming. Good news was that the one that had jumped seemed to be at peace and enjoying the comfort from brother and sister. After about 45 minutes of sitting in the driveway, I went hunting for momma. We have a river that runs down behind the school's playground and soccer field and I thought it was likely that she might be down there. I didn't find momma duck but I found two male ducks. I came back to Simon with a new direction.

After we moved the chicks down to the river, I went upstairs to do the dishes and just prayed for a miracle. Simon stayed on watch. It was about 9:30 and getting dark outside. When I came back downstairs, Simon and I agreed to take one more walk around to find momma duck. We went to the bridge that overlooks the river, looked first on the left side and then on the right side. I could not see anything, but then Simon spotted her...and two other ducklings. I freaked, but had to be quiet about it. Simon already had a plan. We were going to chase her up the river to her babies, because the reunion was something that we couldn't interfere with. We began to walk along the river bank. Momma spotted us and led her and her babies always several yards ahead. The plan was working. Finally we reached the point where baby and momma could reunite, but there was a little distraction. The two male Mallards were lookin for a booty call. Momma started quacking at them to lay off, and the babies heard this and started peeping like crazy. Momma heard her little ones so she came up on shore but that's when the males thought it was an oppurtune time to get busy. Momma had to get back in the water to protect the little ones and keep the males off her, but that didn't stop the chicks. Momma was calling now and the babys were coming. Simon and I were spying from a distance on the other side of the river, when we saw momma and not two but three, then four, then five of her babies all in the river swimming around. The miracle had happened and the family was finally reunited again! Momma was so excited. She began pecking at them and teaching them how to eat. I have tears just writing about it.

This was an amazing experience for Simon and I. We have told the story about a hundred times. Every time I think of these experiences with nature, I am reminded that there is something far greater than us out there. Something that not only has the power to overtake us with fear and unpredictability but has the desire to overwelm us with beauty and adventure. This is just another story to add to my list. "Our Creator is not a careless mechanic..."

the first two



my four babys

waiting for momma duck
to come back as the babys
call and call and call.

no response for over an hour:(

then we moved them down to the river and there she was! calling them too! (unfortunately, it was too dark for pictures).