A duck that kept her eggs warm in front of the Treasury Department building before having them hatch last weekend has apparently started a trend in the neighborhood.

For the past month, employees of the Gelman Library have been caring for a mother duck that is keeping 12 of her eggs warm next to the building. Despite occupying a strip next to a driveway right near the building’s noisy loading dock, the creature has stayed put as it receives attention from workers, some of whom have affectionately called the bird “Gelman.”

“A Gelman duck should be as important as the duck up the street,” said Jessica Chase, a manager in library operations, referring to a feathered mallard that took up residence near the White House and receives Secret Service attention.

Though there are no federal officials to ensure the Gelman duck’s comfort, Crystal King, Gelman’s manager of financial operations, said she and some co-workers have become its guardians.

“We like to go every day to visit,” she said, adding that they bring it water, crackers and bread donated from a street vendor outside of the library.

The caretakers expect the eggs to hatch within the next two weeks; but until then, the staff are enjoying what she said was a welcome distraction.

-Gabriel Okolski