The weather was pleasant on May 1, and a resident was in the Rogers garden, arranging flowers for a celebration of May Day. She decided to explore the pathway, and, following a turn, her bright eyes caught sight of something different among the plants near a small tree. It was brown and black with some white, close to the colors of the surrounding mulch. She thought at first that it might be a wooden duck decoy, as it was motionless. When it suddenly took off, she realized that she had discovered a well-camouflaged female duck sitting on a nest containing 12 eggs!
At the resident’s suggestion, Sharon Conway of Therapeutic Recreation prepared a sign that read “Please do not Disturb – Louise the Duck – Is Nesting – In this Area.”
Then the questions began. How did the duck find the hidden Rogers garden, which is enclosed and surrounded by buildings? When the ducklings hatch, how will she lead them down to the creek, which is their habitat? Meanwhile, what will they eat?
Debbie Lux, horticulturist, has a few answers. Mallards have often been nesting in different parts of Medford Leas, she says, and they particularly like areas where human beings are around, protecting them from predators.
Residents who have been here long enough remember one spring when a duck built her nest in the large planter by the front entrance. Unfazed by the traffic in the parking lot, she eventually walked away with her babies trailing behind her.
This year’s duck tried to repeat that success, except that the planter was gone and her nest was close to the ground. When she was suddenly charged by a dog on a leash, she fled, leaving three eggs behind to dry out in the sun. Guided by her memory of the layout of Medford Leas, she made it to the Rogers garden in time to lay 12 more perfect eggs.
— Betsy Pennink
adapted from Medford Leas Life, June 2024