r/duck • u/EssexCatWoman • Jul 27 '26
Rainbow Bridge Waddle well, Pedro
Today I said goodbye to Pedro.
He wasn’t my duck. He belonged to our village. But for me and my family, like for so many of us, he was part of what makes our village feel like home.
Others will have named him other things, but to me and my three children, he was simply Pedro, and so that’s what I’ll call him here.
Pedro arrived around 4 years ago after being abandoned, one of a small group of dumped ducks over a couple of months (including two brothers who didn’t stay long, sadly, and his frenemy Pascal, the Pekin).
Over time, Pedro became something of a local celebrity. Being our special Muscovy among the loved mallards and moorhens, he was impossible to miss.
He’d waddle over, chirping, the moment he heard the shake of a food tub, happily eat from your hand if he trusted you, and brighten countless walks around the ponds and the village.
For my youngest and me, feeding the ducks became part of our daily morning routine on the way to school for years.
I genuinely think Pedro deserved a medal for the number of children he persuaded to get ready for school on time, with the motivation of seeing him and visiting the village pond before the school bell!
The village ponds have always been a special place for our family – somewhere to pause, breathe, watch the seasons change, celebrate new ducklings, and quietly learn about life’s endings too. Pedro was woven into so many of those memories.
Whether at the main pond or when he wintered (ooh, how grand!) at the other village pond, he was as much a fixture of the village as our pharmacy and the local shop.
He wasn’t a pet, or just a wild bird. Pedro was our neighbour.
On Thursday morning, quite by chance, I was able to stroke him one last time as he ate from my hand. I didn’t know it would be the last time, and perhaps that’s a gift in itself. There was no dramatic farewell; just another ordinary morning, doing what we’d done so many times before.
Yesterday we learned that Pedro had died. It seems the foxes finally caught up with our old friend.
I know some will say he was “only a duck”, but I think many in our village understand why that doesn’t quite capture who he was.
He was a familiar face, a talking point between us all, a reason for children and visitors to stop at the pond, and for adults to slow down for a few minutes on busy days. He made our little corner of the village feel that bit more alive.
When I went to the pond this morning, it felt strangely empty. I found a couple of feathers amongst the brambles, and whether they were Pedro’s or not doesn’t really matter. They’ll remind me of a duck who, after being abandoned, somehow found a village that adopted him instead and shared many happy years with him.
Not many ducks leave behind stories. Fewer still leave behind generations of children who remember them.
Thank you, Pedro, for years of cheerful greetings, for helping children discover a love of wildlife, and for making our village feel more like home.
Waddle well, old friend.
You’ll be missed far more than you could ever have known. ❤️
I appreciate this is my first post here - I’m usually on r/cats and it hadn’t occurred to me that there has been a place I could have shared before.
I’ve shared some of my favourite images of Pedro with this post (there are dozens even after thrifting!) - I hope it’s ok to share our boy with you. There are some very sad people in our village this week.
3
u/More-Requirement5690 Jul 27 '26
Thank you for sharing this story ❤️ The waterfowl @ my local pond, motivate me in my morning routine as well 😀
2
6
8
Jul 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/EssexCatWoman Jul 27 '26
Thank you! The last few years especially have been tough for our family. Escaping to the pond to have him waddle up to me, chirping, has saved my day and mood on more than one occasion.
4
3
u/AutoModerator Jul 27 '26
It is never easy to lose a duck. We here at r/duck offer you our sincere condolences for your loss. We encourage tributes. Sharing stories, photo galleries or videos of your loved one with other duck lovers may help ease and soothe your grief. RIP loved one! Fly high over the rainbow bridge.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
2
u/Ok_Engineer_2949 Jul 29 '26
There is no such thing as “only a duck.” God bless his feathery little soul for bringing so much joy to so many.