Turn it Up!: And these ducks you cannot change ...

We have ducks in our neighborhood. We also have crows, squirrels and, unfortunately, Canadian Geese.

You’ve probably noticed ducks and geese recently hatched new broods of ducklings and goslings. They parade along sidewalks and block traffic without any sense of immediacy. And to be honest, they’re cute.

But they make a mess.

One of my neighbors had enough of them littering his driveway. He was even more upset one of his neighbors fed them, so they always seemed to congregate around his house.

So he called the sheriff’s office, which puts a twist on the term duck call. He was told the ducks weren’t breaking the law. So he threatened to shoot them.

That is against the law.

Four deputies arrived within minutes. Ducks are one thing; guns are another. It didn’t take long for the deputies to disarm the situation. They told him ducks were federally protected. They also told the neighbor she was not supposed to feed them. Both were told they should call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to have the ducks relocated to a more natural environment.

Some of my other neighbors, however, decided to fix it. They rounded up the ducks and took them to a remote area void of houses and people.

The next morning, the brood was back. The momma duck led a parade down our sidewalk with her ducklings in quick tow. Everyone forgot they have wings.

The Canadian Geese haven’t left, either. Unlike the ducks, they aren’t a pleasant bunch. They are the Darth Vaders of the bird family. They put foul into fowl. They’re mean and unapologetic. They don’t leave messes; they leave speed bumps.

As our county continues to grow, wildlife continues to lose its natural habitat. Moss-draped oaks have become backyard porches and three-car garages. Nesting places have been bulldozed and covered with concrete.

We forget this was their home long before we turned acres of thicket into housing developments. Lilly pad-covered ponds are now parking lots, forcing ducks to find refuge in retention ditches and rely on scraps of bread crumbs to survive.

We must respect balance. If we build a community, let’s ensure we have natural areas set aside so people and animals can coexist. After all, they were here first. We’re the visitors. Just because humanity has the ability – and the desire – to develop doesn’t make wildlife any less important.

That’s what happens when you focus so much on progress. You forget the past. It’s what’s about to happen in Green Cove Springs. The sacred land where Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote songs, practiced and perfected their Southern Rock sound will be sold, destined to be transformed into another house in a busy development guarded by iron gates.

For more than 50 years, the historic lot has been spared an indignant demise. It was a noble effort for music lovers to hold onto one last piece of the band’s past. All of the original members have died. Now their fabled clubhouse will be buried under yards of concrete, mulch and indifference.

The land where the Hell House once stood, where “Free Bird,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Gimme Three Steps,” “Simple Man,” “Ballad of Curtis Loew” and “Workin’ for M.C.A.” were written, will fall victim to an insatiable desire to build.

All in the name of progress.

But like ducks, history can’t be caged and moved for convenience. Legacys have wings, too. No matter how hard you try, it won’t go away.