Gimpy birds seems to find me or do I just find them?  No matter they intrigue me with their tenacity and sheer will to live in a world that is not kind to one leggedness.

While I was hanging out at the Crow Pool this week I noticed a little duck.  I was enjoying some beach time, counting crows in this murder and in general watching them enjoy the pool. Closer to where I sat was a duck who was struggling to get out of the creek’s current. It is a little bit of an incline to climb but most birds just hop right up no problem.

Upon closer inspection I realized this ducklett (yes it was a juvenile duck) had a bad leg.  I mean a really bad leg. It seemed to be either deformed or somehow injured.  It was red and obviously made walking really difficult.

After taking a couple of photos I retreated to my position which is far enough away to not disturb the resident crows nor this little duck. From my spot I could watch the action but not interrupt their behavior.

The crows came over to bath and hang out just like normal. One came over to where the little duck was and she gave a little quack awaking from her sun nap.  However, the crow just skirted her and then walked down the beach to the stream. Then he came back and eyed her. In return she did a little silent quack. They must have known each other and just co-exist there at the pool.

That was Saturday afternoon and being a little worried that I would find her dead or disappeared I came back on Sunday. Up by the creek there was no sign of her except the rumpled sand where she had been laying. No feathers or bodies stuck along the bank either. I was relieved but still worried.

My next step was to go find the resident duck flock that I had seen several times under the dock. Found them hanging out where the creek flowed out to the north of the dock.

To my delight there was our gimpy duck. I was sure now she was a teenager. She was surrounded by her family of siblings and parent.

While I watched the youngster drug herself up to the adult. She was feeding off the small particles and creatures in the surf and creek water.

This video will give you a good idea of her disability.  What determination to survive!

After all this work our family of ducks including gimpy settled in for a sunny nap at the shoreline. Since gimpy birds are easy to tell from other of thier kind, I will keep checking on her.  Stay tuned on what I find or don’t find.