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Baby Duckling Trapped in Window Well Saved by Neighbors and Alexandria Animal Welfare League

Nicknamed "Daisy" the Little Duckling Found Friends Very Quickly

Baby Duck in Water Bowl
Baby duckling rescued from deep window well in Old Town Alexandria, VA. (Photo: Lee Moody)

ALEXANDRIA, VA – Lee Moody looked out on her terrace Friday morning and smiled as she saw a momma duck and her babies visiting.  A little while later, “I saw another little duck or goose family passing by, and I knew they had walked right over my window well grate.”

Moody thought for a moment, and wondered if any of those babies might have slipped through the widely-spaced bars of the grate, so she went out to take a look.  “Sure enough, I looked down, and there was a little baby duckling peeping and trying to figure out a way out, but the walls were way too high,” she told Zebra this morning.

Heidi Burkhardt with baby duckling
Heidi Burkhardt with baby duckling at the Potomac River’s edge looking for the Momma Duck or Goose. (Photo: Lee Moody)

Headed to slide open her basement window, Moody still wasn’t sure how she’d return the baby to it’s mama. However, try as she might, she could not get her window open. Thankfully, neighbor Heidi Burkhardt was at home when Moody called and shared the predicament.

“Oh my gosh, she was so cute,” shared Burkhardt. “He had fallen down a pretty long way for a baby his size.”

The McEnearney realtor is used to figuring out solutions on the fly, and said, “I just climbed into her window well, and we brought a little bowl of water for her, and sat with her for a while, trying to give her time to trust us.”

“She drank a lot of water,” Moody added. “she must have been so afraid.”

Moody estimated the duckling had been down there 60-90 minutes.  Once they felt the duckling had calmed down, “We took her in a basket and towel down to the river to look for her family, but no luck.”

Officer Suarez with baby duckling
Officer Suarez with baby duckling in Alexandria, VA (Photo: Lee Moody)

That’s when the idea of calling the Alexandria Animal Welfare League hit them. “We called AWLA,  and about 15 minutes later met Officer Suarez and handed over “Daisy the Duck” to his capable hands,” said Burkhardt.

Suarez texted the ladies within a few minutes, “I’m happy to tell you I found a momma goose just a little bit before Founders Park by the water line, and Daisy was reunited with her momma and a few goslings!”

Both Moody and Burkhardt said the same thing: “I love happy endings!”

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Mary Wadland

Mary Wadland is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of The Zebra Press, founded by her in 2010. Originally from Delray Beach, Florida, Mary is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Hollins College in Roanoke, VA and has lived and worked in the Alexandria publishing community since 1987.

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