Sewer Rescue—

Ducks Out Of Water In School Courtyard

By Andrew Gorosko

At first glance, the courtyard at Reed Intermediate School at Fairfield Hills seems a paradisiacal place, with its sloping terrain punctuated by colorful landscaping elements, lending an air of elegance to the expansive triangular void.

But that charmed environment was less than paradise for a handful of newly born mallard ducklings which inadvertently fell down through a storm sewer grating there, landing in a murky pool of water within a catch basin.

On a recent morning, Reed School student Stephanie Schubert spotted a mother mallard and her ten newly hatched ducklings walking about in the school courtyard. The courtyard is not open to students, but is visible from many windows within the building.

Besides the ten ducklings, two unhatched duck eggs were later found in a secluded nest in the courtyard.

Stephanie alerted her father of the situation. Her father is Dana Schubert, who is the police department’s youth officer. Officer Schubert has an office at Reed School.

Later that day, Officer Schubert realized that the ducklings present in the courtyard had decreased in number and soon discovered why.

The policeman called Toni Baranowski, who works at Head O’ Meadow School, for aid in rescuing the ducklings, only several days old, from the catch basin.

Ms Baranowski, who is certified to peform such animal rescue work, arrived later and was able to remove several of the trapped ducklings from their watery prison beneath the storm sewer grating, Officer Schubert explained.

“It went quite well, actually,” he said.

The trapped ducklings were extricated with the aid of a skimmer net, which typically is used to remove scum from the water in swimming pools.

All told, only one duckling remained missing and probably was drawn into the storm sewer network in the area, which leads to the nearby Deep Brook. The rescuers had lifted the lids on four stormwater sewer catch basins in seeking to find the missing ducklings.

After their rescue, the ducklings and their mother relaxed for a time in captivity.

The next day, Officer Schubert and Ms Baranowski released all the aquatic birds at Hattertown Pond, off Castle Meadow Road. The scenic pond should prove a more hospitable habitat for the birds than was the school courtyard, the youth officer said.