Before the Capitals won the Stanley Cup, a mallard duck built a nest in my flower bed. These 14 ducklings were my good luck charm.
The Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup in June, but I knew 2018 was going to be charmed a few months earlier.
On March 31, as I returned home from getting groceries, I noticed two mallard ducks in my front yard. Hm, that’s odd, I thought. Downtown Frederick is home to many ducks at Baker Park, but out my way — not so much.
The chance encounter made me sentimental. Some of my fondest memories as a child were walking around Culler Lake and watching the furry gold-colored ducklings waddling along with their mamas.
On April 4, after running more errands, I realized that duck encounter was more significant than I initially thought. I parked my car, walked up to the stoop, and looked down. I saw something new in my flower bed: three eggs and a nest.
Mallard Duck babies were on the way! So I did what any normal, sensible person would do: I bought two video cameras — think: motion-activated baby monitors — and placed one at ground level and the other on the railing on my stoop.
Over the next month, I watched stunned, amazed, and humbled.
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