The Adventure’s Of Five Little Ducklings.

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It was a beautiful sunny Friday spring morning the birds were singing and the bees were buzzing. Mother duck was so proud of her new brood of thirteen ducklings all fluffy brown and yellow balls of inquisitiveness’ Mother duck had a cunning plan if she took her brood along the road to the big house Jane the lady who lived there would give them breakfast as she had so many times before now mother duck was clever she knew how to get her babies in but also knew Jane would open the gate to let them out and keep Oscar the big ginger tom cat away.

Sure enough mother ducks plan was a great success 13 plump little ducklings trailed behind as she marched off down the road towards the river at the end of the road.
Jane stood at the top of the road a contented smile crossed her face as she watched her visitors leave.

Further along the road a busy gardener was at work pulling out weeds from the flower bed she heard the duck family coming and looked up as mother duck came into sight.
Quack Quack, Mother Duck carried on along the road half way to the river now.
All of a sudden a horrendous commotion broke out. Mother duck shrieks of alarm bought Jane running and the gardener out of the garden to see what was wrong.

Standing on the storm drain Mother Duck looked distraught six small ducklings huddled at the kerbside peeping for their brothers and sisters. The gardener and Jane arrives almost together just in time to see two tiny ducklings falling into the storm drain.
Mother duck flapped and waddled around. The gardener searched or an old fishing net to try and catch the ducklings in but alas it had long gone to the tip. Mary who lives at the other end of the road (it’s a short road!) came running to see what all the commotion was. She ran back home and returned almost immediately with daughter Amber’s goldfish net. Between us we lifted the drain cover. Mother duck had had enough by now and had gathered her six little ducklings together and ushered them swiftly down the middle of the road.

Mary reached down into the storm drain because it was her goldfish net and she had the longest arms. “Come on little ducks come on jump in” Success we have two. Now By this time Jo had arrived she lives next door to Mary. Jo went and got some brown bread and tried to encourage the ducklings to come out into the middle of the drain away from the dark hole of the soak away pipe the gardener held a torch and Jane held the heavy drain cover open.

Mary raced a light speed down the road to find Mother Duck.

Try as they might the intrepid rescuers could not stop the ducklings from hopping on to the ledge of the soak away and swiftly they disappeared out of sight. Mary came rushing back Wahoo “Reunited with Mother Duck” she shouted as she ran up the road only to stop at the sight that greeted her. Determined not to be defeated by the drain the gardener ran into the house and rang the RSPCA …. “Help we need Help come at once Ducks stranded down a drain send your best rescue team (well one lady by the name of Sue Oh another one!) Time ticked by peep peep….. peep peep tick tick peep peep ……peep…..
Jane had to go. Mary needed to go to work but gave it one last try laying in the road head down the drain she did her best Mother Duck impression “Quack Quack” Seven Seven we all said laughing. Jo had gone. I won’t give up on you little ducks said the gardener. Ring ring the telephone went “Hello gardener this is RSPCA Sue can you ring the council and ask for a drain man who can….tell us if there is a drain plan. I’ll be with you in twenty minutes it will take the council that long to find the man who can find the drain plan” Ok said the gardener. Hello Paul the man here I don’t have a plan but I’m coming with a team of men. We’ll save the ducks he said.

RSPCA Sue and the men from the council arrived all together High vis jackets on they gathered around the drain. Torch in hand RSPCA Sue got down on her knees and pointed to where the little ducklings had waddled off to, by now three hours had passed since the dreadful mishap. All was silent in the dark drain close by was another drain cover in the path. That’s a soak away said Paul the head of highways he ordered the two men to remove the cover and a deep dark cavern was reviled. The torch lit the hole I can’t see said RSPCA Sue hold the torch gardener RSPCA Sue got down on all fours and peered into the hole her arm shot down the hole “Got ya” she exclaimed! PEEP PEEP one small brown yellow and now black duckling was out closely followed by four siblings.

Five healthy slightly cold ducklings rescued by RSPCA Sue and Hampshire Highways Department. Hooray!!

The Mother was sadly away from them for to long and would not bond with them again because of human smells so they will spend a few days at the Vets then off to West Hatch Animal Rescue Centre for a few months before they are returned to the wild or re-homed.

As for the rescue team ………They all went home for tea!

• 10 Apr, 2010
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