It is with a heavy heart and tears falling that I type this blog to say goodbye to Matilda...I have never been particularly fond of birds, but this one was special and I will miss her greatly.
I was at work one night and fielded a phone call from a concerned person who had found a duckling. I started in on my usual lecture of how nature should be left alone to do as nature does. Survival of the fittest, minimal human contact, don't touch the baby bird, etc...
The exasperated man on the other end of the line interrupted me a bit sharply--"you don't understand, ma'am...the duckling is CHASING me!"
Soon after I hung up, a man arrived at the front door of the clinic with a Pampers box...inside I could hear the frantic scurrying and peeping of the offending creature. I opened the box and up popped a frazzled, fuzzy little black and yellow duckling literally STRAINING to get closer to a human. Obviously this wasn't a wild duckling. Not only was it a bit too early in the season, but this little thing was strongly imprinted on humans. Maybe it escaped from someones home flock?
I placed the little fuzz into a kennel and turned the lights off under the presumption that she would be quiet and go to sleep...good god I was wrong! Dr. Pinto and I were forced to listen to the angry (and loud) peeps of a duckling unhappy with it's current situation for hours while we worked on our other patients that night.
I had a moment near the end of my shift where I had time to go check on the (still noisy) duckling. I opened the kennel and she came right to the front. I picked her up and she settled in my hands, snuggled up to my neck with her little beak and made contented little baby duck noises. Within a few minutes, she was asleep.
I'm sure those who know me can see the "SUCKER" sign that I have posted directly above my head...The duckling came home with me that night.
As she got bigger I would take her outside and let her have time in a small cage in the yard soaking up sun, bathing in a tiny duck pond made out of a tupperware container, and foraging for whatever tasty bits of plants and bugs she could find through the bottom of the cage. I would go about my yard work and as long as she could see me she was happy. I could open the cage door and let her out to follow me around the yard for exercise...her little legs churning as fast as they could to keep up, tiny little fuzz covered wings outstreached when she ran.
Eventually Matilda got big enough to live outside, so she moved into the pen with Stella the goat and the bunnies. Upon their first meeting, Matilda bit Stella and chased her across the pen! The two were quite a pair to observe. One morning I came outside to find Stella laying on the ground outside of her goat house (unusual for her). Upon closer inspection, I saw Matilda all snuggled up next to Stella for warmth. Thus marked the day that Matilda moved into the bathroom for the winter.
Lot's of people keep pet birds...mine just had a tendancy to quack loudly at anyone she wasn't familiar with using the bathroom. My boyfriend was VERY disturbed by having a duck residing in the shower. I argued that she bathed daily and was mostly potty trained--sometimes more than I could say for HIM.
Matilda spent the winter as a house duck. Showering daily, exploring the house, and tormenting the kitties at every opportunity. Eventually both the dogs and the cats learned that they shouldn't mess with her...she had quite the pinch.
This spring Matilda started to lay eggs. Beautifully blue/green colored and a bit larger than a chicken egg. Usually she would lay one a day...a grand total of about 26 this season. I joked that she was finally paying rent.
Once it warmed up enough, Matilda moved back outside to Stella's pen where she could forage for bugs, splash in her tiny pool, and pinch bunny butts as much as she liked. Every time I would step outside, she would greet me in her very own, extremely loud way.This morning when I stepped out to do the chores, the yard was silent...
I called Matilda and got no answer. I got down on my stomach to look under the goat house where she slept and saw her lying there motionless.
I reached in and touched her...she was cold.
From what I read, domestic ducks are expected to live from 10-15 years. Matilda was here for just over one year.
I had pondered as she yelled at me on Saturday that I should start taking her indoors at night as it has been getting cooler outside. I don't really know why she died...It's possible that she had been ill. Birds are notorious for not showing ilness until they are too far gone. She may have suffered injury from being stepped on by Stella, accidents happen. There were some injuries to her body, but no way to know if they happened before or after she passed. I keep kicking myself over and over again for not checking on her last night when I got home from work.
It was 1am, I was tired, I should have taken the time for you...but I was too wrapped up in just getting my chores done and getting to bed.
I am sorry Matilda.
