chicks dig unix

On my way to work this morning, already an hour and a half late by some reckoning I came to a group of ladies standing on Aungier St. looking down upon what appeared to be an injured duckling and its distressed, long-necked mother. I can’t say I recognised the type of duck they were but the mother was most elegant. The duckling was unable to stand and a concerned soul took it up in his hands. The mother was quite disorientated and scared so avoid the congregated people was stepping out into the road in front of traffic. Pigeon-like city-savvyness is something ducks lack.

The chap with the duckling in his hands reasoned that they had to have come from St. Stephens Green as there’s no where else near by that these ducks could have come from, sound thinking in my mind, and he elected to bring the ducking home and hoped the mother would follow. When he was across the road the mother began to follow … on webbed foot … across a busy road. An on-coming taxi driver who didn’t see, didn’t care or assumed the duck would take flight at the last moment, nearly terminated the mother’s life under his wheels. She was lucky to escape. The ignorant driver smiled at what had and nearly had happened.

Out from under the taxi the mother flew to take a perch up-top a hair dressers on the opposite side of the street with her duckling and rescuer below. She didn’t see them and remained on top looking to where she had come from, calling for her duckling all the while. The man with the duckling slowly continued around the corner hoping the cries of both birds would lead them to each other. I rounded the corner to follow him concerned that the mother was not following and didn’t seem to realise that her young ducking was behind her. I suggested I take the ducking back around to her hoping she would follow. Carrying the tiny, downy, chirping duckling in my cap I went back to Aungier Street. I could no longer see the mother so I asked an assembly of hair dressers who had been surveying the scene. They pointed me to the top of a building across the road and ‘oohed‘ and ‘aahed‘ at the contents of my cap. One of them called the DSPCA who said they would come and help but as I didn’t know when I left the ducking in the care of the hair dressers who put it in a box. The mother was sitting in a window box in the building across the street by this time.

I exchanged numbers with the woman who had made the call and I expect we’ll be in touch later to see what happened.

[ Update ]
I’ve just called the hair dressers and she told me that the DSPCA came and took the Duck and all her duckilings away, “about seven” in total. I’m glad they’re safe.
I just called the DSPCA to see how they’re doing but the office is closed, I’ll call tomorrow.

[ Update arís ]
I called the DSPCA again this morning and they have the ducks in their shelter and all are said to be well. I felt a little silly making the call so I didn’t ask too many details, I was just happy to know they’re safe now.