PORT TOWNSEND — Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue will release 35 young mallards into Kah Tai Lagoon at 4 p.m. today and has invited the community to come out to see the young birds return to their home in what they’re calling a “Duck Splash.”
“I’m hoping they [the ducks] will be excited and I won’t have to convince them to come out of the carriers,” said Cindy Daily, director of Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue.
“We released six Canada geese into China Garden recently, and they just flew out,” she said.
“I’m hoping for something similar, but with people around, you never really know.”
The mallards were rescued from locations near the lagoon earlier this year. Ten of them showed up at the backdoor of Radio Shack, and others were found in downtown Port Townsend outside of the co-op and wandering around the bus stop just off the lagoon.
All of them were separated from their parents and found when they were only days old.
“They came in as these tiny little yellow fluffs, only 1 or 2 days old, and now they’re full-grown ducks,” Daily said.
Daily said she rescued more than 50 ducklings this year, 20 of which have already been released. While that is a record number of ducklings in need of rescue, Daily said, it’s common for her to see more of certain species each year.
“Every year, there’s always one species that just has a big reproductive year,” Daily said. “It’s uncommon for me to see this many ducklings, but not anything to worry about.”
Daily said community members can park in the parking lot off 12th Street behind McDonald’s, and she will have signs in place to direct people to where the ducks will be released.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5550, or at cmcfarland@peninsula dailynews.com.
