Duck eggs orphaned when a hawk killed their mother have found an unlikely surrogate: Tallulah the turkey. Tallulah, however, thinks it’s a match made in heaven.

Tallulah arrived at the Fox Valley Wildlife Center about a year and a half ago with a badly-broken wing, leaving her unable to fly. Turkeys roost in trees—keeping them safe from predators on the ground—so Tallulah couldn't be safely released back into the wild.

Instead, she became an animal ambassador for the Wildlife Center, helping to educate the public about members of her species. She was harness trained and traveled to schools and libraries to meet the students.

Then, last November, she began laying eggs—one here and there—Wildlife Center Director Laura Kirk said. Tallulah would sit on the eggs, but because there wasn't a male turkey around, the eggs were not viable and would not hatch.

Still, she kept sitting on them, refusing to leave the nest to eat. She began to lose weight, and she became moody and territorial.

Fast-forward to several weeks ago, when nurses in the emergency room at Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin witnessed a hawk dive down, capture and kill a mother duck sitting on her nest of eggs.

The nurses told their co-worker, Jean Lowe—a renowned animal lover among her colleagues—about the hawk incident. Lowe gathered the eggs—13 in all—and took them home, where she kept them warm overnight with a space heater. The next day, her sister, Donna Kruse—a volunteer at the Wildlife Center—brought in the ducks.

When the staff introduced Tallulah to the eggs, she knew exactly what to do: she spread her body over the eggs, sat down and did not leave them until they hatched.

Nine of the 13 duck hatchlings made it, which, according to Kirk, is a pretty good survival rate.

One week later, the ducklings are growing and developing, and Tallulah watches over them as would any protective mother. And as far as the ducklings are concerned, she is their mother—they run to her for warmth and for protection, and she is happy to provide it.

Once they grow their adult, water-proof feathers, they will be moved outside of the wildlife center’s building to get used to being outdoors. When they are able to survive on their own—at about 2 months—they will be released into the wild.

Kirk said she doesn’t know how Tallulah will react when the ducklings are taken away. But for now, she is content.

“She just wanted to be a mom,” Kirk said.

Spring is baby season at the center, which is entering into its busiest time. Most of the 3,000 animals it cares for each year arrive from late spring into early fall. At the time of the Wild Baby Shower late last month—a fundraiser for the center that took place a couple of weeks ago—there were about 30 squirrels, 50 bunnies, 10 geese, six orphaned raccoons and three Great Horned Owl babies. And that’s just the beginning.

The center’s mission is to care for wild animals in need and give them a second chance for a good life in the wild. Kirk said that most of the animals they see have been affected by humans in some way.

The non-profit wildlife center, the only one of its kind in Kane County, is funded through donations and grants.

A garage sale to raise money to help with the costs of caring for all the babies and other wildlife will take place on May 14 at 39 Walnut Circle in Sugar Grove.

For more information or to make a donation, visit the center’s website at www.fvwc.org.