An Unsettling Sight By The Water
A man leaned over the rocky lake embankment and extended his arm toward a mallard floating belly-up in the water. Beside the inverted drake, three tiny ducklings paddled in frantic, tight circles. The adult bird remained pinned on its back, bright orange feet sticking straight up into the air.
Passing traffic hummed along the roadside pavement just feet behind him. He stepped off the asphalt and placed his sneakers carefully onto the wet, mossy boulders lining the shoreline. He lowered his center of gravity, balancing his weight on the slope to reach the surface.
Reaching forward with both hands, he scooped his palms beneath the drake’s waterlogged body. The mallard tilted sideways as his fingers wrapped around its chest feathers. The nearby ducklings retreated a few feet into the deeper water, watching the movement.
A Closer Look Underneath
He lifted the duck just high enough to inspect its lower half. The bird did not beat its wings or twist its neck to bite. It lay quiet in his grip, its yellow bill resting close to the waterline while cool lake water dripped through his fingers.
He rotated the drake upright so its belly touched the surface again. Holding the mallard steady with his left arm, he reached down to inspect the webbed feet. Between two orange toes hung a heavy, black object dragging the limb downward.
A thick freshwater mussel had clamped shut around the webbed foot. The heavy bivalve had locked onto the duck’s toes, weighting down the leg and flipping the bird over onto its back.
Freeing The Clamped Shell
He pinched the dark shell between his fingers, testing how tightly it held the orange tissue. The mussel remained firmly shut, anchoring itself against the duck’s foot. He repositioned his thumb along the seam where the shell met the foot.
With deliberate pressure, he worked the grip loose from the pinched skin. The duck kept its head still, eyes blinking slowly as the tension shifted. After several seconds of careful prying, the dark mussel dislodged and fell away into the depths.
He ran his fingers lightly across the webbing to check for broken bones or torn skin. The orange foot flexed naturally in the water, free from the weight that had pinned it. He smoothed a hand along the drake’s emerald-green head, brushing flat the damp feathers behind its eyes.
Back To Open Water
He loosened his grip entirely, letting the drake float on its own. For a brief second, the duck sat motionless, feeling the water support its body once again. Then its wings exploded against the surface with a loud splash.
The mallard righted itself completely, surged forward across the calm surface, and called out across the water. The three ducklings immediately fell into line, paddling quickly behind the drake toward the center of the lake.
Know someone who loves wildlife rescues? Send them this story.