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Ducklings bring joy to students at Courtenay school

Brood of duckings in the courtyard at Mark R Isfeld School

By Kailena Krutzmann

Special to The Record

During these difficult times we’re living through it is important to find joy in the little things. Recently, Mark R. Isfeld students and staff have been enlivened by the gift of discovering a mother duck had laid her eggs in their school courtyard. As a result, the courtyard is closed for the time being; with six ducklings hatched and four eggs still waiting, Isfeld students have been falling for the ducklings from afar bringing radiant smiles to their faces.

As ducklings require 28 days to hatch, we can infer the mother duck had laid her eggs about a month ago. When she and her ducklings were finally discovered by two teachers, the school immediately contacted MARS Wildlife Rescue Centre. One of their volunteers came shortly after and uncovered the four remaining unhatched eggs. They did not want to relocate the mother and her ducklings until the remaining eggs had either hatched or it was clear they were not going to hatch.

In the meantime, while students eagerly wait for the last four eggs to hatch or not, MARS provided food and water dishes to make the environment as comfortable as possible for the newly born ducklings. And when the time comes for them to move on from their first home, Mark Isfeld school, MARS will rehome them to a new and safe environment. In the end students and staff will never forget the lively ducklings that brought a little light into the lives of so many.

Kailena Krutzmann is a Media Design 11 student at Mark R. Isfeld Secondary School