DC’s Planet Word Museum seems a little more like Animal Planet these days

If a duck quacks on a rooftop, does anybody hear? Maybe not, but when she lays a nest full of eggs in a planter on the roof of D.C.’s Planet Word Museum, everyone starts watching.

The momma mallard may have been very smart, or she may have just been a lucky duck when she chose her nesting spot, cozying up between a couple plants in a rectangular planter on the Northwest museum’s rooftop terrace to lay her eggs.

Once the museum found out about the brood to be, they took to protecting their newfound feathered friend and her babies like, well, a duck to water. The museum got ahold of City Wildlife, a D.C. rescue and rehabilitation organization, and came up with a plan to protect the nest and little peepers once they hatch.

They are expected to start hatching in the next couple weeks and you can keep an eye on the nest on the museum’s Duck Cam.

What will you see? A duck sitting, sleeping, yawning, preening her feathers and shifting eggs. After all, she is a duck sitting on eight eggs, not an entertainer. But she is cute and the cam will stay up until the babies hatch.

The museum is also using the opportunity to teach you more about the word duck, and promote some duck related reading.

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Michelle Murillo

Michelle Murillo has been a part of the WTOP family since 2014. She started her career in Central Florida before working in radio in New York City and Philadelphia.

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