# Wood Ducks Take Wing



## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-765565.html

*Wood ducks take wing *

By KELLY HINCHCLIFFE : The Herald-Sun
[email protected]
Aug 30, 2006 : 7:01 pm ET 

DURHAM -- Linda Cook of Bahama estimates that she has cared for more than 10,000 animals in her 15 years of rescuing and rehabilitating wildlife. 

But all she could think about Wednesday were nine young wood ducks -- five males and four females. 

For nearly three months Cook has been their life source, feeding and nurturing them. The ducks were orphaned, and one had surgery to get a steel pin put in its wing. 

About $5,400 in food and medical bills later, Cook was ready to release them into the wild Wednesday at Durham's Wastewater Treatment Facility in southern Durham. 

This wasn't her typical sendoff spot. Cook usually releases rehabilitated animals on her own property. But a new wildlife preservation project at the treatment facility caught her interest. 

It was about two years ago that James Driggers, a plant operator, noticed that the city was mowing acres of grass that weren't used for anything and didn't need to be cut. 

With help from fellow plant operator Charlie Cocker, Driggers convinced the city to stop mowing some of the grass and let it grow into a habitat for natural wildlife. 

He got the idea from a program based in North and South Carolina called Wildlife And Industry Together (WAIT) that tries to transform underused property into lush wildlife habitats. 

"It's so amazingly simple," Driggers said. "You just stop cutting grass." 

In the two years since Driggers and Cocker first pushed for the project, the grass has grown and created a barrier to acres and acres of untouched forests and streams at the plant. 

Fighting through the overgrown grass Wednesday, Cook, Driggers, Cocker and several onlookers from the Piedmont Wildlife Center traversed the woods to a slow-moving stream. The nine wood ducks stayed tucked away in a crate until it was time for their release. 

Carefully opening the front door of the crate, Cook pulled out a duck and held it up for the gathered crowd of onlookers and photographers to see. She slowly placed it back inside and opened the door so the ducks could walk out into their new home. 

The ducks huddled together and were hesitant to leave. So Cook knelt by the crate and made kissing sounds to ease them out. 

Once she took the top off the crate, one duck flew off downstream. The others calmly waded into the stream and swam off in a group. 

"I think they're going to be really, really happy," Cook said, smiling as she watched them leave. "I feel blessed. These guys are actually thriving and making it." 

Cook said she hopes Driggers' and Cocker's efforts to increase the wildlife at the plant will continue around Durham and the state. It could be as simple as a company planting butterfly bushes in an area where they typically cut grass, Driggers said. 

As for the wastewater plant, the wildlife has quadrupled, he estimated. 

"You walk through the grass and grasshoppers fly in every direction," Driggers said. 

"These guys stepped up. ... I think it's awesome," Cook said. "I'm so excited to give these animals what they deserve in life -- their independence and freedom."


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Terry, I'm so glad this made the national news. Our local TV station showed the babies being released and they were so cute. Can you believe the $5,400 it took to raise them? I couldn't but I'm sure the surgery took up quite a bit of that. I don't ever add up what $ we spend  

The Piedmont Wildlife Center, located in Durham, NC, does not take extended care of pigeons like they do songbirds and mammals, but if they get one in they will medicate or bandage if necessary and then contact a rehabber. The white pigeon we got in yesterday was a referral from them. The man who found him contacted them and they gave him our name. There are about three of us they refer birds to. I just got an e-mail this morning from my rehabber friend who mentioned she had gotten in several from them this summer. It is wonderful that they do this.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi Terry,

That was a great story, and I am glad this made the news.
This is definitely more news worthy then alot of the other stuff.

It had to be quite a bitter/sweet moment   when the rehabber released these precious orphans.

Big cheers to the plant operators who convinced the city to turn the vacant acreage into a natural wildlife habitat!

Thanks for sharing!


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

*Some Pictures And Additional Info/Commentary From Linda Cook*

Linda posted this on one of my duck lists .. thought I would share the pictures and info here too.

Terry
---------------------------------------
I_ wanted to share with the group some release pictures that were taken when we released the wood ducks at the Wastewater Treatment Facility. I thought you might enjoy them... 

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a269/cooklc/woody-N1587rs.jpg 
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a269/cooklc/0744253e.jpg 
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a269/cooklc/bbbf111b.jpg 
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a269/cooklc/4bc45772.jpg 
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a269/cooklc/bc5462cc.jpg 
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a269/cooklc/release-N1620.jpg 
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a269/cooklc/ba1dbcc0.jpg 
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a269/cooklc/1ea7edec.jpg 
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a269/cooklc/woody-N1625rs.jpg 

Last year I released a pair of wood ducks and many mallards... and in our swamp I was suddenly confronted with a hunter who was the grandson of the land owner.. who threatened me with his gun as he dangled one of my ducks in my face. 

Wood Ducks are extremely fragile creatures. There are not many who are successful at raising them. These wood ducks cost from 4-600 bucks to raise when you have to buy tons of mealworms for them (and pay costly shipping fees) along with other things you need to provide in their habitat. My habitat for them looks like a mini swamp with different grasses and things that produce seeds that they also eat when they get a little older. 

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a269/cooklc/wetcage-N1607rs.jpg 
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a269/cooklc/min-wetland-N1605.jpg 

I believe since there is so much construction that is displacing so many animals that large landholders are going to have to, or possible one day, be required to step up to the task of a mandatory requirement to provide wildlife habitat. Wildlife has to live somewhere. We can not make everything extinct. Man is his own deadly embrace. Man can not live without animal. We are each connected to the other. 

This one facility's example can have a much broader interpretation... one step at a time. I do hope others will jump in line and follow suit. This turned out to be a nice public awareness article. Perhaps others (groups, large landowners, corporations) will now step up to the place in this and other states. Perhaps this example article can be used to show others the way. I hope it can help other wildlife centers connect with their local facilities for habitat release. Each animal requires very specialized habitats that we have taken from them. They deserve to live to and not always be hunted down. So I feel I have achieve a very important first-step in my mission with wildlife. This is simply part of a solution for man's encroachment on wildlife and respective habitats. 

Linda_


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Terry, thank you for the links. I really enjoyed seeing the release and pictures of her "swamp" which looks like an ideal place to raise ducks. I didn't realize they are fed meal worms and that would help account for the cost of raising them.


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

What a terrific woman! Bless her heart! I have a soft spot for ducks! 

I wish Linda the best! Hopefully, others will follow suit to start other habitats. She is right, at the rate we are going, we will lose the birds if something isn't done!


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