Ducklings Hatch At Morse Pond School
Over the past few springs, a quiet spectacle akin to “Make Way For Ducklings” has been occurring at Morse Pond School.
For the five years that head custodian Paul DiAngelis has been at the school, numerous clutches of mallard ducklings have hatched each spring. With Morse Pond located directly behind the school, mallards have made a sanctuary out of the school’s inner courtyard, taking advantage of the fact that it is completely surrounded by the building and is essentially barricaded to protect the ducks from predators.
“I see a lot of activity out here,” Mr. DiAngelis said. “Almost every morning I’d see at least one duck out here.”
Duck activity usually picks up around March. In past years, the ducklings were usually hatched and ready to leave the courtyard by mid- to late May, but this year the hatching was earlier than most years.
“In the early spring, I start seeing activity out here all the time,” Mr. DiAngelis said. “The male duck will accompany [the female] until she lays her nest and as soon as she’s sitting on eggs or laying eggs, he takes off. I’ve heard that he just hangs out with other male ducks which is interesting because I was down Falmouth Harbor one year and I saw a number of ducks hanging out together. They were all males because the males are the colorful ones.”
If the mere presence of ducklings does not bring enough excitement, their exit route sure will. In order to get the ducks out of the courtyard, they must be guided into the school, take a left down a ramp, and make their way out the back door to the pond. Children watch quietly from the upper level above the ramp as the mother duck leads her ducklings down the long curved hallway toward their new home, Morse Pond.
It has become quite the spectacle over the years, Mr. DiAngelis said. The first clutch of the year was just released on April 29 and went very well.
“Friday was a beautiful day: it was sunny and nice and she was just hanging out in the sun,” he said.
Using pieces of cardboard, Mr. DiAngelis and other staffers were able to herd the mallard mother and her ducklings from the grassy courtyard to the walkway and into the school. It did not take long for her to make her way down the ramp, he said, and once they were safely outside, the ducks made their way to the pond.
The students’ excitement was palpable as they lined the hallways on Monday, May 2, in preparation for another release of a newly hatched clutch with 10 ducklings. Whispers were plentiful, but loud shushes from fellow students kept the halls mostly hushed. The children know, Mr. DiAngelis said, that they have to keep quiet, or they risk spooking the mother duck.
“That’s the last thing we want,” Mr. DiAngelis said.
Students looked on quietly as the mother duck and her 10 ducklings made their way down the ramp on Monday afternoon. She did, unfortunately, get scared and suddenly took flight inside the school. She was not seriously injured, and wildlife experts were called to take over the situation. The mother duck is currently being rehabilitated at Cape Wildlife and will later be released with her ducklings.
While it is not a common or preferred outcome, this has happened before, Mr. DiAngelis said. Last year, one mother duck did get a bit spooked and found herself in the library after taking flight inside the school. She was able to safely exit the library after some time and reunite with her ducklings, but it was not something that any Morse Pond staffers want to re-enact.
Five clutches of ducklings were hatched at the school and released into Morse Pond last year. This year, Mr. DiAngelis has made note of three. A typical mallard can lay up to 13 eggs, and each clutch released so far this year has had 10 ducklings.
Another clutch of 11 ducklings remains in the courtyard with their mother. Mr. DiAngelis said the school is working with Cape Wildlife to ensure that this clutch is released safely because it was noted that the remaining mallard has a band on her leg, which was likely placed there by Cape Wildlife over the past year as part of its efforts to band ducks in Falmouth Harbor.