Welcome to our maiden post here at the Bayside Duck Orphanage! We are a wildlife rescue team that are responsible for the foster care and release of native ducklings/ducks.
We have had a very busy season and have rescued/rehabilitated/raised over 30 ducklings and ducks this spring already! I want to start this blog as a way for us to keep track of our rescues, to capture this crazy time in our lives and to provide advice for new carers and for the benefit of duck lovers of all ages.
It is interesting times right now (and a little emotional) as we have just watched our older Wood Ducks take their first solo flights. We have been walking them to our release point and they have, over the past few nights decided to sleepover there (they do come back for a few fresh greens and to let me know they’re ok)!
We are lucky to live between two bodies of water and they are quite happy to join the crew that are already there. There is always a struggle for pecking order however we have been pleased with the results we have seen with their release.
We also have 7 Black Pacific Orphans ready to join our older ones. The Pacific Blacks are a lot harder to control on walks and have found that flight is their best release with an older trusted friend who can show them the way to the water. We have two older Pacifics who like to escort our younger ones to the lakes nearby and they usually will come back a week or two later to say hello or fill up on pellets for the day!
We have one little newborn pacific who has won the heart of my daughter and is very much enjoying the attention of her tweets and having his water changed almost every 5 minutes! We have had to put him in the big tub as the bounce on him could’ve easily popped him out of one of our largest tubs. He snuggles up with his surrogate mum every night under the headlamp and gives us the cutest little tweets when awake.
I will endeavour to update daily and welcome anyone’s thoughts on everything. We are working on Christmas cards and calendars right now to raise money for us and our parent shelter and would love your support when we start getting them out there. We are a self funded rescue resource and we are referred rescue call cases from all over including areas outside of Bayside.
I hope you enjoyed our very first post from Bayside Duckling Orphanage.
Until tomorrow, enjoy these pics!
Alexina
-Bayside Duckling Orphanage
Bayside Duckling Orphanage 