I hope no one thinks I'm ducking the previous issue, but I logged on this morning to post this story:

Downtown D.C. Duck, Offspring Get New Home
photo (probably not a durable link)
ADELE STARR May 02, 2005

WASHINGTON - The hottest new tourist site in the nation's capital is no more. After a boffo four-week run, the Treasury duck has been moved from her prime nesting spot in the midst of heavy tourist traffic a block from the White House to a more peaceful setting along a quietly flowing stream.

The mallards in the classic children's book "Make Way for Ducklings" may have only needed the help of the Boston police department for their relocation, but their Washington relatives got assistance from several federal agencies. The Secret Service uniformed division provided security during the four weeks the mother mallard, given various nicknames from T-bill to Quacks Reform, was sitting on her eggs. A metal barricade was constructed and then expanded it as the tourist crowds wanting to get a look grew larger.

The ducklings all hatched on Saturday, and surprisingly there were 11, not nine. Biologists had missed two eggs when they made their initial count. The wildlife experts picked Sunday as moving day, believing the ducklings needed one day to get acclimated to their mother in the original nest.

The transfer had been mapped out like a military operation. Officials of the Treasury Department, where the expertise runs to money matters not wildlife, called for help from specialists from the National Park Service and the Agriculture Department. The mother mallard, who had gained fame from appearances on national television and in newspapers around the world, squawked only briefly as USDA biologists gently nabbed her and the 11 ducklings and placed them in cages for the 15-minute motorcade to Rock Creek Park.

Once at the park, the ducks were placed in a holding pen to get used to their new surroundings. There was some concern among the biologists that the mother duck could become so alarmed by the move that she might fly off, abandoning her offspring. However, those worries proved unfounded. After just a few seconds, the mother found an opening in the pen and waddled out, heading straight for the nearby creek.

Her ducklings scurried behind in a single line - all but Duckling No. 11, who had a little trouble getting going. It stumbled at first, landing on its back with its webbed feet waving in the air. But it quickly righted itself, only to trip again and then tumble down the muddy creek bank, plopping into the water. From there, all 11 ducklings formed a line paddling after their mother and set out to explore their new surroundings.

"We have a healthy duck population here and we are happy to take the new additions under our wings," said Laura Illige, chief ranger at Rock Creek Park.

Back on Pennsylvania Avenue, the metal barricades had already been dismantled and the former duck nesting place was once again just a mulch pile surrounding an elm tree.