Secret Service protects expectant duck

[Amelia]

Secret Service protects expectant duck

Treasury Secretary pays duck a visit

Friday, April 8, 2005

CNN.com

[]http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2005/US/04/08/treasury.duck.ap/story.duck.jpg[/] []http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2005/US/04/08/treasury.duck.ap/story.3.duck.jpg[/]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Secret Service, which has the job of guarding the president and other dignitaries, now has a new temporary duty -- protecting a mother duck and her nine eggs.

The duck, a brown mallard with white markings, has had several names suggested by Treasury Department people, including "Quacks Reform," "T-Bill," and "Duck Cheney." It has built a nest in a mulch pile right at the main entrance to the Treasury Department on Pennsylvania Avenue.

The Secret Service's uniformed division, which provides protection for the White House and Treasury building, has set up metal guard rails to protect the nest, which has attracted the notice of tourists on their way to see the White House.

The duck has been provided with a water bowl and seems oblivious to all the attention, sitting calmly on its nest on top of the mulch pile that surrounds one of the new trees planted along Pennsylvania Avenue as part of a renovation project.

Treasury Secretary John Snow stopped to pay his respects this week on the way back from a congressional hearing, Treasury spokesman Rob Nichols said Friday.

"He had been briefed on the duck and he stopped to pay a visit," said Nichols.

The eggs are expected to hatch the last week of April at which time the duck will be relocated nearer water. But until then, the duck will occupy some of Washington's prime real estate.

"Foreign leaders, members of Congress, everybody who visits Treasury has to pass by the duck," Nichols said.

[Bravus]

Heh, but apparently the secret service can't spell 'quiet'. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

[Amelia]

[cricket]

Come on now, do you really think that the Secret Service made this sign?? Looks like a "professional" sign company made it to me.

Besides, my brother dealt a lot with Air Force One security issues--computer security and communications--over the past 6 years. I know, without a shadow of doubt, that he wouldn't have stood for this kind of incompetency.

[Nicodema]

Chrys,

Anyone can make a sign like that with the right media and a computer. It could be laminated card stock for all we know. Since it is spelled incorrectly, I doubt a professional sign company did it. Probably some dyslexic receptionist somewhere.

Just my guess.

N.

[Bravus]

Erm, I thought I made a joke, rather than a gibe at the Secret Service, who I'm sure are scarily competent.

[Amelia]

Actually now that I look closer, it appears to be just a sheet of paper thats been printed out and 3 hole punched. More likely fingers out typed someones eyes and didnt proof. Possibly in a hurry to get it hung.

[Fran]

This is clearly a case of spelling the wring word correctly! I can do this too! I have practice.

I did spill check on this message and there were no errors.

[Fran]

This is clearly a inside goverment sign job! How do I know? It is covered with a government issue, clear, plastic sheet protector. All governemnt documents receive this treatment.

[Amelia]

Duck security heightened at summit

Fri Apr 15, 2005 05:01 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials bolstered security on Thursday for a duck nursing eggs near the White House to protect her from demonstrators at a global economic summit beginning on Friday.

Officials are concerned protesters could disturb the mallard hen, who is incubating what officials say are nine eggs at the foot of a tree on the sidewalk in front of the Treasury Department and next door to the presidential residence.

"We are widening the perimeter around the duck as a precautionary measure," Treasury spokesman Rob Nichols said.

The waterfowl, who may now be one of the best-protected birds on the planet, laid her eggs on top if a mound of mulch at the foot of a freshly planted sapling over the weekend of April 2-3. Her ducklings are expected to hatch the week of April 25-29.

Meanwhile, groups protesting the meetings of members of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Group of Seven major industrial nations have scheduled a Friday rally at an intersection, yards (meters) from the bird.

Some demonstrations at economic summits in recent years have turned into violent confrontations between police and protesters. Tens of thousands of anti-globalization demonstrators shut down a 1999 international trade ministers meeting in Seattle, and protests disrupted World Bank-IMF meetings in Washington in 2000.

But demonstrations at gatherings of world economic policy makers have dwindled in size and rowdiness since the September 11, 2001 attacks, and security has tightened. Organizers said protesters were likely to number in the hundreds this weekend.

Even so, workers on Thursday afternoon erected a second line of metal crowd-control barriers about 10 feet (three metres) outside stanchions already in place to keep gawkers at arm's length from the duck.

The bird spends her days nibbling mulch around her, dozing in the spring sunshine, or feathering her nest. Every evening at dusk, she covers her eggs and leaves for about 15 minutes to feed, a Treasury official said.

Decision-making about the duck's safety was closely guarded.

"We don't comment on security matters," Nichols said.

[Amelia]

Treasury Duck Hatches Ducklings

Secret Service Provided Protection For Weeks

May 1, 2005

CBS Broadcasting Inc

WASHINGTON (AP) The duck stops here. After four weeks as Washington's newest tourist attraction, a mother mallard duck and her — count 'em — 11 ducklings were transported in a motorcade Sunday to a new and far more suitable setting in Rock Creek Park.

The whole group took to the water, well, like ducks, although there was a bit of drama along the way.

The transfer had been mapped out like a military operation for the mother duck, a capital celebrity since taking up residence at the main entrance to the Treasury Department. The building is on Pennsylvania Avenue, the prime thoroughfare that tourists use in walking to the White House, which is right next door.

The Secret Service uniformed division had provided protection for the nesting mother over the past four weeks. Agents had built and then extended metal barricades to keep tourists back from the nest, which the mother had constructed in a mulch pile surrounding a tree.

Even after appearances on national television and in newspapers around the world, the mother — whom some Treasury employees had variously named Duck Cheney, Quacks Reform and T-bill — seemed oblivious to the attention as she stuck to her job of keeping the eggs warm.

The hatching began Saturday afternoon and continued into a stormy night with heavy rain. Wildlife experts who had studied the nest believed there were nine eggs. It turned out there were actually 11 eggs; all hatched.

The mother and her offspring were left on the nest overnight so the ducklings could get oriented.

Early Sunday, in an operation more elaborate than the ducks' move in the children's classic "Make Way for Ducklings," government biologists gently captured the mother duck and her yellow-and-black ducklings and put them in cages for the short ride to their new home.

Once at the park, the ducks were placed in a holding pen to get their bearings. But in only a few seconds, the mother mallard had found an opening and was headed to the nearby creek. Her ducklings scurried behind in a single line.

Duck No. 11 had a little trouble at first, stumbling and landing on its back, its webbed feet fighting the air. It quickly righted itself, only to trip again and tumble down the muddy river bank before landing with a plop in the water.

From there, all 11 ducklings quickly formed a line paddling after their mother and set out to explore their new surroundings.

While they had hatched in the rain, their first journey in their new home took place under a bright sky.

"Ducks are born knowing how to navigate in water," said Laura Illige, chief park ranger at Rock Creek. "We have a healthy duck population here and we are happy to take the new additions under our wings."

[aka]

Amelia... pretty-please, feed us lurking quakers with a picture or two, okay?

[Amelia]

[]http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2005/05/02/image692376x.jpg[/]

A mother mallard duck takes a first swim with her ducklings in Rock Creek Park after being transported to the there in a motorcade. (Photo: AP)

[Amelia]

[]http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2005/US/05/01/treasury.duck/story.chick.jpg[/]

A fuzzy duckling pops up from under its mother to take a look around.

[Amelia]

[]http://www.kansascity.com/images/kansascity/kansascitystar/news/TREASURY_DUCK_WX104.jpg[/]

This mallard left Pennsylvania Avenue for a place on the water.

[Neil D]

Amelia...cool pixs....

Tumeric- " lurking quakers" ?????

Are you a peeping pacifist?

[Try saying that 3 times without stuttering! }

[aka]

Well, might say I'm a laid-back pacifist in other people's fights. But a convicted hothead in resisting bad behaviour that is destroying harmony in unity of the brethren.

('we quakers' was said with much affection. Humorously I was mentally imaging the 11 duckies swimming after Mommy Mallard downstream. I imagined us here at Club as being like those little duckies. What do ducks say ? "Quack Quack". so came the applied nickname of quackers from me to 'us')

Turmeric

[aka]

Thanks a lot, dear Amelia, for the pictures.

Such a nice image of creatures Jesus made. I was happy seeing the humans protecting the ducks to do what they're meant to do.

Refreshing to see something other than those kill-and-maim images on the news we feed on.

Turmeric