Help with (hopefully temporarily) orphaned duckling
I’m so glad you guys are here since I can’t get in touch with any wildlife rehabs.
I found this baby duck in my apartment complex’s pool. According to a construction crew nearby, several hours earlier (this morning) its whole family had been stuck in there. Maintenance helped get all the ducklings out while the mother watched from the roof in agitation. But I guess this one was missed somehow…
They told me which way the mother had gone and I FOUND it and the other babies! But they were in a stream below me, too far down to set down the duck, and they immediately fled into dense foliage.
I followed them downstream like an idiot, through the mud, probably scaring the mother out of returning to this spot for a while. But they entered a forested area too dense to pursue. Most of this stream is physically inaccessible.
So, multiple questions… are they likely to return to the pool or the part of the stream where I found them in? I know that part is popular for them, that’s why I thought to search in it.
BUT do I have time to spare to keep coming back and checking? I have no idea what kind of food or warmth this duckling requires. It’s been a couple hours now since I put it in its box.
Please advise, and know how grateful I am.
P.S. this always happens to me. I bought this animal container for a reason.
Edit: Ah, I see the auto-reply - I live in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and will read the guide. I’ve contacted rehab but it may be some time - also, they don’t accept ducklings because of avian flu.