keep everything tidy
09/16/2024
"This is 'Irma', she is one of the Muscovy ducks that hangs out in the ponds in front of, and behind our house in Plant City, Florida. About a month ago she laid 13 eggs at the base of the Live Oak tree in the front yard. She usually gets on and off the nest multiple times a day to eat and drink. When I got up this past Sunday morning Irma was on her nest. The weather was already turning nasty with high winds and rain. Towards evening as the hurricane was heading towards us, we had torrential rains and wind gusts up to 107mph! Irma hunkered down and never left her nest. We could watch her from our bathroom window as if we were lucky and never lost power. When the eye of the hurricane was over our house we went out to check on her and she was still sitting tight. After the eye passed the wind and rain kicked up again and we finally went to sleep around 2:00am. When we woke up Monday morning, there was Irma, still sitting on her nest, covered in broken tree branches and Spanish moss, but alive and unharmed, all 13 eggs still intact. Monday was still very windy and Irma had yet to leave her nest so we brought her food and water which she readily accepted. Today, Tuesday, she finally got up from her nest, stretched her legs, and took a quick dip in the pond before heading back to her eggs. So, here's to Irma, super duck, who sat through a category 2-3 hurricane, protecting her eggs, and said 'not today hurricane Irma, not on my watch!' Looking forward to having 13 Muscovy ducklings soon, pooping all over our driveway."
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Credit: Joy Anne Trent
