Intelligent, independent, wanderer, problem-solver, observant.
The Rescue
Juniper was either seeking Black Friday deals or rescue herself. We believe the latter. On Black Friday 2024, Juniper walked through the automatic sliding doors into a Hobby Lobby in a strip mall. Our board member Sara happened to be at the store and overheard the staff talking about a duck. With this info, Sara jumped into action. She found Juniper, isolated her from shoppers to keep her safe, and called Jennifer. Approximately 45 minutes later, Juniper was on her way to Tumbleweed.
Juniper, the sanctuary’s Queen
Juniper arrived at Tumbleweed about a week after Angel. She was quiet and observant. She loves lettuce. We hoped that Angel and Juniper would offer each other comfort as they waited out their quarantine; however, Angel’s little man attitude was not having it. He was insistent that Juniper recognize he was boss. She did not. She would not give him the time of day. This trends with male ducks would continue.
We built Juniper her own coop and aviary. We made the coop big enough to fit two ducks in hope that she would accept Forrest, our male Muscovy duck, as her companion. After a slow introduction between attached aviaries, we allowed Forrest into Juniper’s aviary. Although Juniper allowed Forrest to be near her, should would NOT allow him into her house. We respected her wishes, and hoped with time, she would accept him.
Mrs. and Mr. Muscovy
It turns out that a short vacation was what it took for Juniper to accept Forrest. During a few days of extreme cold (10F, -12C) in early February 2025, we moved all of the residents into the garage (aka the Vacation House) where we could turn on the heat and keep the birds cozy. We kept Juniper and Forrest together, and he finally won her over. After the extreme cold end, Juniper allowed Forrest into her coop, and they have been together ever since.
Yard Boss
Shortly after we rescued Juniper, we found out that kids had been chasing her around the store parking lot. This was the last time that anyone has or will chase Juniper. Juniper has established that she is not afraid and will not bow down to anyone. She has made this known during yard time (i.e., time outside the aviaries in the main yard around all aviaries). She will not move out of the way of the other birds, she approaches their food or water with confidence, and if the other birds try to boss her around, she will not tolerate it.
Juniper is a strong, independent, and an unassuming lady. She loves to explore and forage in the yard. She has allowed Forrest to be her companion and has established herself as Queen of the sanctuary.
