Our surviving birds
Erna (left) is SO special to us! She turned 14 this year, which is amazing for a duck! She is the only 'original' animal still with us from the beginnings of West Place. Her first husband, Burton, passed suddenly many years ago, and we thought Erna would fail. She kept to herself for about two years, then the Westport 2016 case happened and Saltine was one of the ducks we took on from that case. The minute he arrived to us, Erna looked at Saltine and the rest is history.
We just lost sweet Saltine in 2021, but Erna keeps going strong!
Duncan and Wade are the best boys! These two brothers have watched over each other for 13 years now. Their mother, Webbie (now passed), was one of our first rescues and she was such a good mom to her sons. After she was gone, they stuck together and are never more than a few inches apart. Not just brothers, but truly best friends.
Lucky and Lady and one of our unique pairings, one being a wild mallard and one a domestic Indian Runner. Lucky had gotten hit by a car and ended up on someone's doorstep in Newport. Brought here for rehabilitation, we expected that if he survived, he would eventually be able to leave. Though his ability for flight returned, he never left. We think he got sweet on Lady. To see him stand guard to protect her while she naps (even though he is half her size) is heartwarming. Who needs to watch The Bachelor, when we have couples like these two?!
Brinks (back) is the duck who almost wasn't. One day our ED heard a faint peeping and went to investigate, only to find a lone, random egg with a crack in it. Warm to the touch, she realized there was a bird having trouble getting out. She gently opened the egg to reveal a wet, tiny duckling. Not sure the troubled little one would make it through the night, Brinks turned into a big, handsome guy. Long-time single, his life changed when the Westport case brought us Girlie. They have been inseparable for years, and we hope they have many more great years together ahead.
Buddy (right) came to us after someone heard a pained quacking and found him in a stream...with one of his feet caught between two boulders as the water level was rising. Though he lost a part of his foot, he kept his life. The people who saved him kept him for a while, then realized mallards are federally protected and that he needed to be with a licensed rehabilitator for the rest of his care. While he was recuperating, two domestics were put into sick bay with him, as Rocky had grown very old and started to fail, and his wife, Oreo stayed by his side. Once our dear Rocky left us, Oreo decided she then wanted to help us take care of Buddy and she coupled up with him until she passed. Buddy was in mourning for years until Iris came. One day, our ED was picking up a chick from someone that had taken an injured call duck from a bad situation. The woman thought she could give Iris what she needed but quickly realized that with an eye infection and a permanently deformed leg, Iris needed more. She was filthy and terrified, as she had been kept by a breeder in an enclosure without proper care or the company of other ducks. Our ED came back with two birds on that trip, and Buddy fell in love...for the second time. And Iris is blossoming into a joyful, confidant girl who takes great pleasure in life and doesn't let her foot slow her down!
Sesame is a true miracle! Her momma, Erna, fostered wild babies for us for a long time and then at almost 15 years old, she laid an egg! Incredibly, it was fertilized and even though we don't breed animals here, Erna deserved her own baby and we wanted someone to carry on her amazing legacy of being the only surviving rescue from the start of our organization. Sesame may not look like her mom, but her quack is identical!
Also from the wildlife clinic, we were happy to help out by taking in these two pekins. Splashy (left) got his name when one of our volunteers gave a school presentation to a class that ran a fundraiser for us. We let them choose and vote on his name. And Splishy? Well, what else were were going to name his wife? Splishy suffered through a bad leg infection but has finally pulled through it.
Drake is so handsome and that makes us so happy! When his wife passed, his owners called us frantic because he wasn't eating and was pulling his own feathers out. They didn't know how to handle the situation and though we do not take animals from the general public we were really worried about this guy and made an exception. He's thriving here and even has a new girl (it's Cookie!).
