A mother duck and her 11 newly hatched ducklings in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, got a police escort across a multi-lane downtown street after their first walk out of the nest sent them toward heavy traffic. The duck had been sitting on her eggs behind Murfreesboro City Hall for weeks. The ducklings emerged right after lunch on the day in question, and the whole family started moving.
According to an account shared with NewsChannel 5 Nashville, the duck had been nesting behind Murfreesboro City Hall on West Vine Street since around March 25. An officer stationed at City Hall noticed the family was on the move once the eggs hatched, and sent a quick message to a city employee inside. By the time word went around, the mother and her ducklings were already heading toward Broad Street.
Broad Street is a multi-lane road carrying steady downtown traffic in both directions. The ducklings, still in their first hours out of the nest, did not understand that the open pavement in front of them was different from a pond or a path. The officers did.
What happened next was a short, quiet public-safety operation. One officer stepped into the roadway and raised an arm to stop traffic. The rest waited, the mother duck moved, and 11 ducklings followed.
How the Ducks Got There
According to an account shared by Michael Linn White, a Murfreesboro City Hall employee, with NewsChannel 5 reporter Nick Beres, a duck had been sitting on her eggs behind City Hall at 111 West Vine Street since around March 25. The eggs hatched right after lunch on the day of the rescue. Eleven ducklings emerged, and the mother duck began moving the new family away from the nest.
Officer McAdams, who was stationed at City Hall along with Terry Spence, noticed the family was on the move and sent White a text alerting him that the ducklings were out and the mother duck was already heading away from the nest, according to the account White shared. Before long, the mother and her 11 ducklings were heading toward Broad Street. Officers in reflective vests assembled at the edge of the road as the family approached.
Before and After the Crossing
In a video shared from the scene, officers in reflective vests can be seen standing at the edge of Broad Street as the ducks approach the curb. One officer steps into the roadway and raises an arm to stop traffic. Another remains farther back near the curb, watching the ducklings as they gather at the edge.
The mother duck moves first, and the ducklings follow her in a tight cluster, bunching together, spreading out and bunching back together again as they make their way across the pavement. The officers hold the lane until the family is on the other side.
According to the account shared with NewsChannel 5, the officers stopped traffic so the ducks could cross unharmed. The duck family made it safely across Broad Street and continued on to nearby wetlands. They’ve likely since made a new home for themselves in a much safer environment.