Local Worker Finds Out the Hard Way That Baby Ducks Live in Trees

A worker who was clearing trees made a shocking discovery in the Hudson Valley.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation was called to a site where trees were being chopped down after the worker says a family of baby ducks were living in one of the trees. After the tree was chopped the animals were discovered in it.

The DEC responded to the scene in Woodridge where ten baby ducks and two unhatched eggs were found in the tree. The animals were so small that they all fit inside the worker's helmet. According to the responding officer, the eggs were just about to hatch.

Not many people realize that ducks do make nests in trees. The wood duck makes its nest in trees that are usually near water, but sometimes can be up to a mile away. After the animals hatch from their eggs, they are called to the water by their mother. One by one, the ducks jump out of the tree and follow the calls. The nests can be located up to fifty feet above the ground. Miraculously, the ducks are able to jump down from those heights without being injured.

After responding to the call, DEC agents advised the worker to return the ducks to a nearby tree so that they could continue the journey to their mother. Once the animals were relocated officers say "the lively and vocal ducklings quickly adapted to their new home."

Conservationists suggest that people who live near water put up nesting boxes for wood ducks because natural cavities in trees can be difficult for the mating waterfoul to find on their own.

This isn't the first time baby ducks were saved in the Hudson Valey this season. Recently officers in the Town of Poughkeepsie assisted in saving several baby ducks that were stuck in a storm drain.