Wilburs and Shirleys - Our happy ducky family

A female duck, aka 'Shirley', looks for food in the back side of Alpha.

Faith Martinez

Living happily in Thompson, there are a few quirky aspects of our Bluff community. Having to stare at the ugly algae-infested canal outside the window is one of our least favorite parts of the window viewing experience. However, as the weather changed, so did the scummy algae buildup. Instead of disliking the canal, we actually started to enjoy looking at it. Reason? The ducks!

The seasonal change to our school’s beautiful cement canal creates quite the atmosphere for those walking alongside. And since we love every chance to learn something new, we did some research. The most common kinds of ducks, which we see in the canal, are called Mallard ducks. Female ducks are commonly called “hens,” while male ducks are “drakes.”

Of course, these official names mean nothing to those of us who have already named the ducks as if they are our pets. Because each duck’s coloring appears extremely similar, we took the humble liberty of naming each male Wilbur and each female Shirley.

The ducks are an annoyance to those who seldom venture onto Biola’s campus. They see them only as the birds who slowly cross our streets and poop on our fountain.

Yet, it’s quite a learning experience to see young bachelor ducks muster up the courage to quack and flaunt their feathers at their uglier female counterparts. We see couples form as they choose their duck partner for life and soon see ducklings popping up everywhere.

After growing quite attached to all the Wilburs, Shirleys and their nervous little ducklings on this campus, some of us at the Bluff go out of our way to keep these little ducklings in the safety of their mommies. They not only have become the children of our pets, Wilbur and Shirley, but also have become like our own children.

We take our job seriously, protecting our duck family members. When hearing one of our precious Shirleys quacking insanely at something (or someone — you know who you are!) threatening her and the duckling, we bolt out our room in full sprint toward the canal, as if from a scene of an old medieval war movie, torches and pitchforks in hand and letting out yells similar to those of Xena the Warrior princess, attacking whatever is harming our ducks.

We have multiple times chucked rocks and successfully knocked out that dangerous predator known as the crow. And some Bluff residents have gone out of their way to walk alongside the ducks, insuring their safety across the busy streets on Biola’s campus.

Those single Wilburs are another occasional predator we have to keep away from the Shirleys. Sometimes, as if they were jealous, the Wilburs in a group of three decide to attack Shirley, leaving the ducklings unprotected. Recently a fellow Bluff resident was seen angrily chasing the Wilburs away from Shirley, all while carrying her books and talking on her cell phone. That’s what we call commitment and determination.

Needless to say, these ducks on campus have gone from being our pets to becoming like our own children. We are always making sure they are safe and out of harm’s way. Many other Biola students feel the same way about these beautifully feathered creatures and have also taken the liberty to help them cross the street or protect them from a dangerous predator.

On the behalf of some at the Bluff, thank you for joining in the effort to guarantee the safety of our dear friends Wilbur and Shirley, as well as their ducklings. Just remember next time you are driving by the canal in front of the Bluff, drive cautiously; you never know where Shirley and her little ducklings are going to be. We don’t want to see what would happen to you if you were the one to hurt any of these precious creatures. Remember, pitchforks and torches.