Saga of the lost ducklings

WARWICK — It's never dull for the Warwick Valley Humane Society Animal Control, even on a quiet Sunday afternoon.

For example, on a Sunday afternoon, May 31, a mother duck with her ducklings in tow was heading for a swim in the pond on Pond Hill Road in the Village of Warwick.

Quacks and peepsThat's a familiar sight but this day, after she crossed a sewer grate, she began quacking up a storm when she suddenly realized her family had disappeared.

One by one her ducklings had tumbled into the eight-foot drain.

Daddy duck also arrived on the scene but all the parents both could do was quack.

But that worked because all that quacking brought out the neighbors who also heard the high pitch peeps of the ducklings trapped in the drain under a 300-pound grate. They called the police who then notified Animal Control.

The first rescue"I was the only one on call at that moment," said Suzyn Barron, president of the Warwick Valley Humane Society, "so as I was gathering the tools I thought necessary, I also called in my big guns - two husbands of two directors, Walter Ross and Steven Notturno."

Joined by their wives, Society vice President Celia Ross and Treasurer Lisa Notturno, they soon arrived at the scene and with several crowbars, a tow rope and a SUV, they removed the heavy grate.

Steven Notturno, who drew the short straw, climbed down into the sewer.

And with two tries using a long net he managed to retrieve the seven ducklings.

The rescue team took them across the street where mother duck heard them squeaking and happily rejoined her brood. A Department of Public Works worker and Brad Feldman, a neighbor, also helped in replacing the grate.

The secondMeanwhile, Feldman, who had helped with the rescue, reported hearing another duckling in the sewer on his property.

Everyone replayed the scene over including removing another heavy grate. This time Barron wielded the net along with a shovel and that duckling was also rescued.

Now they had to find the lone duckling's family.

So they all headed over to the pond.

"Walter Ross spotted mommy and her babies at the far end of the pond," said Barron. "I walked down to the water's edge, as close to them as I could get and held on to the duckling as I gently placed it in the water without letting go. That made the little one squeak loud enough for mommy to hear and respond. When she quacked back, I let the little one go and like a sling shot, it headed straight to the loving wings of its mother.

" My heartfelt thanks," she added, "to Walter and Steven, directors Celia and Lisa, our DPW responder and Brad Feldman who stayed to help us."

A fighting chanceThe Warwick Valley Humane Society, through its Wildlife Fund, rescues a variety of local birds and animals. All are given a fighting chance and most survive. More information, call 986-2473.

- Roger Gavan