Arlington Heights family nurses ducklings back to health

An Arlington Heights family is looking after a dozen unexpected house guests who like to ruffle their feathers and quack from time to time.

Christopher Davis, a 10-year-old student at Dryden Elementary School, was walking home from school last week when he came across a family of ducks who had just been attacked by a hawk, said his father, Chris.

The ducklings were very young and two of them had been injured in the attack. The local animal hospital said they didn't treat wildlife so Christopher asked his dad if they could bring the ducks home.

"He was very passionate about the ducks and helping the two that were attacked," Chris said of his son.

The Davis home has an atrium that opens to the outdoors with a pond where the duck family could recover, so with a little effort they led the ducks there.

"We herded them a few hundred yards to our house, through our kitchen and into the pond where they are today," Chris said. "It was pretty comical."

The mother, father and 10 ducklings - including the two who were injured - are recovering just fine and are welcome to stay with the Davis family until they are ready to fly away, Chris said.