Wild Ducklings Receive Head Start at Green Chimneys

Finding Focus and Living in the Present

November 7, 2019

May 4, 2018

Green Chimneys Students Care for and Release Ducks Back to the Wild

At long last, there are signs of spring blossoming throughout both Green Chimneys campuses, from budding trees to baby wildlife. Yes, that’s right, babies! Recently a wild (and perhaps wise) Mallard duck chose to nest at the Wildlife Center. Once the eggs hatched, staff hosted the mama Mallard and her eight ducklings in an enclosure so that the babies could grow safely with minimal human interaction and without risk of predators.

Two weeks later, and with the help of Green Chimneys School students, the Mallard mama and her ducklings were escorted to the Great Swamp, one of New York’s major wetlands situated adjacent to our Brewster campus. The duck and her babies were successfully released back into the wild.

Click the image above for more pictures and a video of the release.

Just before the ducks were released, one student called out, “Bye little ducklings, have a nice life!”

Experiences like these help children with special needs not only create great memories and learn from hands-on activities; experiences like these provide children, some of whom have difficulty connecting with peers, the chance to witness nurturing, assist in caregiving and even develop empathy.

Chinchilla

The Green Chimneys wildlife classroom is home to an adorable pair of chinchilla brothers who are often the first animals students want to hold. The brothers are inquisitive and playful but also very shy so students must be calm, and allow the chinchillas to come to them. The students love to build tunnels and play areas for the chinchillas and watch them in their favorite activities: taking dust baths (an instinctive act to clean their fur) and eating raisins. Considered to be the softest animal in the world, the chinchilla is a rodent native to the Andes Mountains of South America, and is a relative of the porcupine and guinea pig.