Mama Wood Duck

This afternoon of the three day weekend beginning, there was an eerie lack of the usual heavy traffic. I ran several errands to pick up things we might need by the next time I leave the perimeter, and suddenly, on my next to last stop, I saw a movement on the sidewalk by the side of the road. A female wood duck, unmistakeable, was heading out onto the main road, and three chicks were following her. I stopped the car at the same moment that she decided not to go into the road. I put on my flashers and hopped out of the car. She turned back toward the woods. I ran into the road. Her ducklings wavered and then followed their mother, just a half second before they decided to flee from my entreaties to go back into the woods with their mother. As they disappeared into the brush, I heard honking... a black Mercedes sedan in a hurry to get home, with nine other cars behind her going back to their houses.