Quack and Waddle’s First Adventure

In Quack and Waddle’s First Adventure, two young Mallard ducks visit the world outside their quiet lake to meet new friends and have new experiences. Waddle, a curious and daring duck, can hardly wait to explore but Quack, her cautious but faithful companion is a little less eager. During their first adventure they are laughed at by a rabbit, attacked by a hawk, amazed by a possum, chased by a cat, outraged by a raccoon and they form a great friendship with a group of small birds in this new world that they explore.

Like anyone who travels, they are happy to go home to a more familiar, safe world in the end, but they are better ducks for their experiences. But beware Quack…Waddle is already busy planning her next adventure.

At the beginning of summer, a pair of wild Mallard ducks landed in my backyard to feed on the corn and grain that I threw out for the little birds in the area. Instead of just visiting, they stayed for a full week. Then the male duck disappeared, leaving the female by herself. A short while later she showed up with a baby duck. I was so enchanted with these ducks that I named them Quack, Waddle and Peep. The female (Waddle) started coming right up to me and demanding food. The male (Quack) returned at the end of the summer and the three of them disappeared. They must have returned to their home at the private lake about 5 miles from my house.

The next year, the same pair of ducks returned but only stayed two weeks this time.

I wondered how they ended up feeding in my yard and imagined this adventure for them. The hawk attack really happened to the little birds and all the creatures in this story really live in the area.