Woodlands duck deaths hatch up debate: Dirty birds or friendly fowls?

Residents in the Alden Bridge Village community of the Woodlands are concerned recently hatched ducklings are being killed when crossing the road by distracted or speeding drivers. Residents in the Alden Bridge Village community of the Woodlands are concerned recently hatched ducklings are being killed when crossing the road by distracted or speeding drivers. Photo: Michelle Iracheta Photo: Michelle Iracheta Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Woodlands duck deaths hatch up debate: Dirty birds or friendly fowls? 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

Cristi Wagner, a working mom who lives in the Alden Bridge Village community of The Woodlands, was horrified when she saw a car plow through a line of baby ducks as they crossed the road near a pond.

After calming her 9-year-old daughter, who also witnessed the incident, she took to her neighborhood Facebook community group to vent her frustration about the "distracted driver" and the dead fowls.

"This person didn't even stop, probably on their cell phone clearly not watching the road," she wrote on the page. "Two killed instantly and the third left flopping around while the momma tried to pick it up. People, please slow down, we have a lot of wildlife constantly crossing the road as well as pedestrians."

The community's ducks

She wasn't the only one concerned.

Nearly 60 people commented and more than 220 reacted to the Aug. 7 post in the closed group within two days. Another post about a mother duck being run over also sparked outrage among the Alden Bridge group.

SAVE THE DUCKS: Woodlands woman seeks to protect ducks in roadways (with photos)

The baby ducks that were killed are part of a family of more than a dozen recent hatchlings born at Cypress Pond on East Alden Bridge Drive that the Facebook community group has been closely watching, Wagner said. The group shares pictures and comments about the ducklings.

"I don't know how you miss something like that," Wagner said. "The ducks were all crossing the road and I know there was at least two cars on the other lane and they were stopped."

Alden Bridge Village Association President Steve Leakey said he hadn't heard about any webbed-toed birds being killed since 2008, when the neighborhood asked then-Commissioner Craig Doyal to put up "duck crossing" signs.

"One board member was particularly interested in the ducks and the ponds in the area," Leakey said. "So Craig Doyal was able to help with that. But I haven't heard anything about it recently."

Protecting the bird

Alden Bridge board secretary and community member Darla Bell had heard about the recent incident.

On the same day, Bell was driving home from work and saw a few duck bodies on the side of the road near the intersection of Alden Bridge Drive and Kendall Green Drive, where she frequently takes walks.

"I was really mad myself," she said. "How can somebody hit three ducks? That makes no sense."

Although there are already two signs facing opposite directions on Alden Bridge Drive near the pond, the Facebook community thinks more should be done to protect the birds.

Some suggested adding speed bumps along the 35-mph county-managed road.

"Maybe not all along Alden Bridge Drive, but just in front of the pond," Wagner said. "Just so people can slow down right there."

Leakey and Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley don't think that's a good idea.

"We don't allow speed bumps," Riley said. "I don't think that would ever work. Even rumble strips or stripes on the road wouldn't help."

Other group members suggested rehoming the ducks or having a wildlife rescue swoop in and handle the situation.

"Nuisance duck"

It's not going to happen, said Marsha Harper, a local bird expert who rehabilitates waterfowl, specifically ducks and geese, regarding relocating the fowls.

"They are considered a nuisance duck since 2010 per US Fish and Wildlife," said Harper, referring to the ducks at the pond. "They are an invasive species, and it's becoming a huge problem in the Houston area. I used to regularly pick up Muscovy ducks, but legally, I can no longer assist by capturing and relocating."

Unlike other ducks, the Muscovy ducks reproduce all year round, she said.

"If you start out with just two Muscovies, a male and a female, it is likely that in a few years you could have up to 120," she said. "and in (Alden Bridge), the population has exploded. By practicing some birth control, you can love the adult ducks that you have gown fond of hopefully for a longer period of time. Allowing overpopulation and the eventual removal can be heartbreaking to duck lovers.Some subdivisions have been known to eventually spend thousands of dollars hiring companies to remove them."

But removing the species from a neighborhood that has grown to love them "can cause quite a battle between the residents who love them and those who want them gone," Harper said.

For now, Riley said he'll reach out to local law enforcement to see whether they might be able to add a couple of police cruisers in the area to address the speeding concerns.

"Maybe that would be the start," Riley said. "Or I would get with the sign department. It may be something as simple as moving the sign. They have been there long enough people might not be paying attention anymore."

***CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Muscovy ducks steal the habitat of other ducks. Harper clarified that this is a common misconception. The article was also updated to clarify a 2010 US Fish and Wildlife regulation regarding the containment and release of the Muscovy duck.