A Fisherman Brought Her to Our Boat. We Tried to Save Her

A fisherman friend found a little duck floating in the ocean by the reef here in San Andrés, too weak to fly, and brought her to our boat. We gave her fresh water, a warm towel and everything the internet said a duck should eat. Ricci barely left her side. This is what happened over the next 22 hours, what we think went wrong, and what we'd do differently.

We think she was a blue-winged teal, one of the first ducks to leave Canada and the northern US each fall. She may well have hatched in Canada, just like the boat she found. After a week of strong north winds, she might have been carried past where she meant to go, out over hundreds of miles of open water. We'll never know for sure.

⏱ CHAPTERS
0:00 A very long way
0:26 Halloween on the boat
1:45 A little surprise from a fisherman
2:12 Fresh water for a thirsty duck
3:07 Bread, and some duck theories
4:44 The unauthorized trip
5:58 Ricci and the duck
6:49 Boots, and the night
7:27 The morning
8:11 Goodbye
8:59 How we imagine it
9:17 What we hoped for
9:45 Who she was
10:03 A week of north winds
10:21 What went wrong?
10:51 If you ever find one
11:20 Fly safe, Quackers

IF YOU EVER FIND A SICK WILD BIRD
Put it in a dark box somewhere warm and quiet, and leave it alone. Don't push food or water. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or your local environmental office first. Keep kids and pets back, wear gloves if you can, and wash your hands. If anyone gets flu-like symptoms within 10 days of handling a sick bird, see a doctor and mention the bird.

We're sailors, not vets. Nobody tested her, so everything we say about what happened is our best guess. Bird people: tell us in the comments if you think we got her wrong.

The flock shots and the deck shot are AI-generated, to show how we imagine her journey. Everything with our family is real.

SOURCES
Ducks Unlimited Canada: https://www.ducks.ca/species/blue-winged-teal/
Audubon: https://audubon.org/field-guide/bird/blue-winged-teal
USGS, salt toxicosis in waterfowl: https://www.usgs.gov/publications/salt-toxicosis-waterfowl-north-dakota
Pennsylvania Game Commission, botulism: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/pgc/wildlife/wildlife-health/wildlife-diseases/botulism.html
Pennsylvania Game Commission, lead: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/pgc/wildlife/wildlife-health/wildlife-diseases/lead-toxicosis.html
CDC, bird flu exposure: https://cdc.gov/bird-flu/spotlights/hpai-health-recommendations.html

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Sailing Sophisticated Lady · Captain Rick Moore · 21 years / 120,000+ miles living aboard