By April Linton, City Wildlife Duck Watch Coordinator
On Saturday, June 21, City Wildlife got an urgent call: a Mallard hen and her ducklings were stranded on the 13th-floor rooftop of a new apartment building near DC’s baseball stadium. Attractively landscaped rooftops with patio furniture are a popular amenity for attracting residents, and, unknowingly, ducks and geese looking for a place to nest. The birds are drawn to the foliage and relative safety an amenity roof or landscaped balcony provides, but do not recognize the challenge to come when their babies hatch: how will the little ones get down to the ground so their mother can lead them to waterr? Depending on a building’s design and the nest location, the hatchlings will either be trapped or in danger of jumping to their deaths.
Upon arrival we learned that the duck family had been walking around the roof for two days. The mother, frantic, flew off the edge and three of her ducklings jumped after her. Duck Watch lead Solomon Edwards grabbed his net and sprinted for the elevator, escorted by a building resident. They collected two injured ducklings and one that had died on impact. Moments later, four more ducklings made the leap and, to the amazement of the crowd that had gathered, Solomon and his companion –using his baseball hat – caught them in mid-air. They did the same when the final three ducklings jumped.
Now we had seven healthy ducklings, two injured ones, and no mother in sight. Given the bustling sidewalk and noisy-street traffic, after arranging the injured ducklings’ transport to City Wildlife we
put the healthy ducklings in a birdcage for visibility and headed for the Anacostia river, where their mother would have led them. For quite awhile, no ducks showed any interest. Then, just as we were
about to lose hope, a Mallard hen flew in, landed near the cage, and urgently called to the ducklings. We released them, and the reunited family swam off together in the calm waters.
What began as a dangerous rooftop drama ended in relief and joy,thanks to quick thinking, teamwork, and some excellent duckling-catching skills. Building management has pledged to notify us about rooftop nests so that future rescues can be smoother – and hopefully every ending fully happy.
Are you in a building with a landscaped roof or balcony? Here’s how you can help:
• Keep an eye out for nesting ducks. Report nests to City Wildlife (202-882-1000 or info@citywildlife.org). Duck Watch personnel will visit the nest and, if necessary, install barriers to keep the ducklings safe when they hatch.
• Give management and front desk staff City Wildlife’s contact info. Encourage management to have landscapers check for nests during breeding season (March – July). Duck Watch is happy to talk with building management; just put us in touch!
• If you see ducklings on the roof or balcony (with or without their mother), call City Wildlife right away (9:00am – 5:00pm). Alternately, call animal control (202-888-7387).
