Survival

Several weeks ago a Muscovy duck hatched 13 babies in a pond near my home. 13 - a bad number? Superstition says so.
Most nights I ride my bike down and feed them. They are unafraid and so cute. The other day they were down to 10. Yesterday they numbered 7. Tonight they are a half dozen.

It's seems like a safe area and it is rather secluded. A great place to raise your brood with all the neighbors feeding your babaies. I wonder exactly how many will survive to adulthood? And do I even want to know why they are disappearing a few at a time? Probably not!

Survival of the fittest. Then life in the burbs for any wild animal is tough and filled with dangers. But - yet we continue to take their habitat with total disregard. Is 13 a bad number? I'm betting momma duck is thinking that right about now.