You may recall last year that I told you about a pair
of ducks that annually raises a clutch of ducklings in the atrium of an
office building in Mountain View. I think they developed that as their brooding
destination because of the faux pond/stream environment that seemed like the
thing to spend space on in the 1980s, when that building was built.
What with the drought here in California (which is
turning from the Golden State to the Brown and Dusty State), the building’s
management company turned off what little water it had allowed to go stagnant
there over the past months. I therefore thought that Mama and Papa Duck would
have to find another location for their family activities this year.
However, I was wrong. Early last month I was pleasantly
surprised to discover Mama with a trail of five ducklings scuttling about the
walkway.
I mean, for raising your spirits, it’s hard to beat
ducklings.
But the next week when I went back looking for them, I
was told that they were gone. The building holds a number of startups (of the
13 guys and a dog variety), which come and go with some speed. Apparently
someone from one of them (who hadn’t been there in previous years) ratted them
out to animal services, who came and scooped them all up.
I don’t know where they’ve gone. No doubt it’s some
approved duck sanctuary, but how will Papa Duck find them? The high tech
hotshots broke up a stable family with their meddling.
Even so—I’m grateful I got to see them again this year,
and I wish Mama and babies all the best, wherever they may be.
No comments:
Post a Comment