Our First Ducks
April 6, 2023
It has been 441 days since the idea of 50 Ducks first entered my mind. In that time, I have reached out to government agencies in 3 countries, multiple state wildlife agencies, dozens of researchers, schools across the United States, and hundreds of individuals trying to obtain the first GPS banded duck. On April 5th, 2023, at 9:30 am near Toluca, Mexico, Manuel Grosselet helped make our dream a reality by banding, two beautiful Blue winged Teal.
On April 4th just before sunset, Manuel completed his setup of two lines of mist nets. The first is a string of 3 the second of 4. I sat 2000 miles away in my Georgia home patiently waiting to hear what was captured. We text back and forth, and the only real news was the police showed up to examine what was going on. Manuel assured me “Everything is in order” With that I tried, with as much success as a child on Christmas Eve, to get some sleep. As fate would have it, I had my first dentist appointment (in an embarrassingly long time) at 7:30 the following morning… I told the dentist if my phone rang, we would have to stop regardless of what was going on. Mid conversation about the need for me to floss more… the phone rings. I assured the hygienist I work on it, but that we were done for the day.
I have wondered everyday what it would feel like to finally get the first duck. I imagined it would be a relief. Relief that all the technology would work, relief that I wouldn’t run out of money trying to get a duck… but it’s not relief. All the worry melted away and all I felt was pure childish joy. These two BWTE represent the beginning of something special.
Soon everyone will be able to follow our duck’s migration and daily movements. Soon we can make a difference in educating young kids about waterfowl and the need for conservation. But today I think lets settle for beer…
I want to express my gratitude and appreciation to Manuel. It Is a tremendous amount of work to do what you do, and I am thankful for your help and support. Both of our ducks have brought me more joy than any waterfowl I have ever encountered. Thank you for believing in our mission. And thank you for making my Tuesday morning the best of the last 441 days. Thank you, Manuel, and here’s to our beautiful Teal!
