LAGUNA HILLS : Bathers Bothered by Pool-Loving Ducks

Ducks are fond of puddles and ponds--and sometimes even swimming pools.

Such is the case with a pair of mallard ducks that set up their nest near a pool in an Aliso Viejo townhouse complex. The father duck paddles around the pool, waddles up to sunbathers and quacks for bread crumbs, while the mother duck supervises four eggs in the ivy nearby.

The trouble is the neighbors aren’t fond of the ducks. They say the birds are messy and bothersome.

“I don’t want them in the pool with my kids,” Kaye Lynn said. “They’re known to carry all kinds of diseases.”

But there is, apparently, little the neighbors can do.

Federal law protects all migratory birds, their chicks and their nests, said Benny Perez, special agent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Anyone caught killing the birds or destroying their nest or eggs faces up to a $5,000 fine and six months in jail.

The neighbors’ only recourse is to apply for a special permit with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to relocate the ducks, Perez said.

“We recommend that, if it’s tolerable, they let them hatch and let them fly out of there and keep them from coming back next year,” he said.

The ducks and their neighbors in the Laurelmont complex were coexisting peacefully on Friday. While sunbathers relaxed on the pool deck, the green-and-brown birds dove into the crystal blue pool, avoided splashing children and ate handouts of pizza crust and rice cakes.

Several neighbors are concerned that the Easter weekend will draw large numbers of families to the pool.

“What happens when a bunch of kids converge on this pool and start chasing the duck around, playing dunk-the-duck?” Linda Rasmussen wondered. “I don’t see why they can’t pick him up and take him somewhere else.”

Because of difficulties of moving two ducks and a nest full of eggs, Peter Gruenbeck, a board member of the neighborhood homeowners association, said the birds will be left alone. The pool will be cleaned more often to remove duck waste and feathers, he said. The eggs are expected to hatch and the chicks to fly away in a few weeks.

“I think it will be fun,” Gruenbeck said. “The male duck was enjoying the Jacuzzi this morning. He was in and out. I guess it was a little too warm for him.”