Washington Bureaucrats Make Way for Ducklings

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Washington Bureaucrats Make Way for Ducklings

By Mark Felsenthal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A duck who hatched her brood under the watchful eyes of the U.S. Secret Service took swimmingly to motherhood Sunday, guiding her 11 ducklings unerringly to water with the assistance of at least three government departments.

Fittingly for a duck who laid a clutch of eggs at the doorstep of the U.S. Treasury department, she did it on public land, in Rock Creek Park, the forested ravine that bisects the capital.

"This is an excellent habitat. We're happy to take her under our wing," said Laura Illige, the park's chief ranger.

The duck, a common mallard, laid a clutch of eggs early last month in a mulch pile at Treasury, next door to the White House in downtown Washington.

http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2005-05-01T182213Z_01_N01231475_RTRIDST_0_ODD-LIFE-TREASURY-DUCK-DC.XML