Nice article!  
Too right about baby ducks, gulls, geese . . ..  I raise domestic ones and they make the best human-intruder watch-dogs imaginable.  Any human comes into the yards, and the flock wakes and heads over to check them out, say 'Hello! Do I know you?  What are you doing here?' and ask for a snack even if it's past midnight - they don't know low volume and a doz or so geese will wake and alert just about anybody.