Quick Thinking Couple Saves Duck When Tree Crashes into River

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.care2.com/causes/quick-florida-couple-saves-duck-trapped-when-towering-tree-falls-into-water.html

by Laura Simpson
January 11, 2012
11:20 pm

Written by Eva Ries & Jacques Beumer of Florida

Our backyard had five Royal Palm trees until a hurricane killed one of them. Its trunk remained standing, becoming a “bird condo” offering perching space for ducks on top and nesting cavities for woodpeckers down below. This summer, a pair of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks hatched a brood of nine babies in one of the cavities they borrowed from the woodpeckers. A healthy, mature Royal Palm can rise as much as 80 feet (24 meters) into the air, and this one, even with its crown gone, was still nearly that height.


The Storm Arrives

In late September, a persistent weather system sitting over southern Florida brought unexpectedly strong winds and 10 inches of rain that soaked the ground. The palm trees in question line the riverbank, and the rain, rising river and strong wind all worked to weaken the dead trunk at its base until one day the inevitable happened. We heard a loud “pop” and saw the palm trunk fall down toward the river breaking off at the base.

As the trunk was falling, we saw one of the Pileated Woodpeckers push out from a nest cavity entrance and fly free. As the giant trunk began to slide down the gentle embankment into the river, we tried to guide the trunk alongside our dock so we could search the cavities for trapped birds. We searched as many of the cavities as we could, but some were facing downward into the water, so my husband and I tried to rotate the now floating trunk. My husband, with longer arms than I, plunged a hand into one hole after another on the trunk, searching the cavities that were facing downward into the water.

We got a very stunning surprise…

As we turned the trunk for the last time into a hole that was underwater just a moment ago, he felt feathers. The look of surprise and concern on his face told the entire story in a moment, and he gently lifted a Black-bellied Whistling Duck out of the cavity. She might have otherwise died in that nesting cavity, unable to push free as it rapidly filled up with water so that the trunk began to slightly submerge. Instead, he was able to pull her free and set her down on the trunk.

FULL story at link.

[a la izquierda]

1. Thanks for a really nice story this morning!

It's amazing the humanity that some folks have for other living creatures on this planet we all share.

[xchrom]

2. Awesome. Nt

[JNelson6563]

3. There is much good in the world

And it's stories like this that remind us of that fact. Thanks for posting, these are lovely people!

Julie

[TlalocW]

4. Then the duck bit my husband on the face

Took flight and pooped on our car. The end.

TlalocW