Look who wandered up in the yard today...

Tricia and I were moving the cows into the yard this afternoon and Benjamin was riding his scooter down the driveway, when something caught Tricia's eye running across the side yard.  It was this little fellow:

Baby Wood Duck

This is a baby wood duck.  There are lots of wood ducks around our neck of the woods and I assume that he (or she) must have fallen out of the nest.  Wood ducks normally lay their eggs in hollowed out tree limbs or anywhere that there is a hole in a tree. The little duckling was super healthy, running around like nobody's business.

Benjamin came running and picked him up.  Now he must have just fallen because we have two cats that are hunters and the neighbors, well, I can't even count how many cats they have.  I think they collect cats like one might collect stamps or coins. This little duckling wasn't going to make it and would end up being on the menu for the neighbor cat's supper for sure.  I walked around to see if I could find the nest, but had no luck. Benjamin, in the mean time, befriended him and named him Willie, after the CEO of Duck Commander.

Willie

Benjamin began searching the Internet to see how you care for a wild duck.  He went to the garden and dug up some small worms and began making a small cage into Willie's temporary home.  Funny thing is, we were just talking about ducks yesterday as Tricia was just talking to me about getting a few Muscovy Ducks for the pasture.

Here is Willie right where we found him, cruising around in the St. Augustine grass. It seems like he has huge feet - way too big for his little body and he follows Benjamin around the yard.  Benjamin brought him into the house and Willie was following him from room to room.  Tricia told him the it reminded her of the Dr. Seuss book, "Are you my mother?"  I thought that was funny!

Ol Willie where we found him

This was one excited dude right here to have this new friend waddle into his life.

I love my duck!

He put Willie into the rain bucket and he took to it, well, like a duck takes to water!

Swimming in the rain bucket

Benjamin got a nice little comfortable house for Willie set up and Willie promptly hopped up on top of the waterer.  He's an energetic little guy.

Willie, the duck, chilling out

I hope Willie will remain healthy and happy and we'll do our best to take care of him until he's able to re-enter the wild.