Duckling Packs ship and hatchlings get a badge

The first Duckling Pack shipped this week: 30 NFC tags in one envelope. Packs of 3, 10, 30 and 50 are in stock. The Pack of 100 sold out with more on order, and six site changes shipped alongside it.

What a hatchling is

A duck from a Duckling Pack arrives pre-programmed, with a printed claim code. You claim it instead of building the tag yourself at /tags.

The site now records that origin. Claimed pack ducks carry a hatchling badge on their profile, on their dashboard card, and in duck listings. The glossary holds the full definition.

Claiming a duck no longer releases it

Claiming a pack tag used to set the duck's release date. That blocked the normal release flow, so pack ducks got no origin pin, no timeline entry, and no release credit.

Pack ducks now wait in your dashboard as "Not out yet". Releasing one works the same way it works for a duck you tagged yourself.

Finds earned

Your profile showed how many ducks you released and how far they traveled. It left out how often other people found them. Reading that number meant opening every duck in turn.

Finds earned now appears on your dashboard and your public profile. It counts every find logged by somebody other than you, and shows how many of your ducks those finds cover.

One Duckster has 317 finds across 153 ducks, a number that previously took 255 clicks to work out.

The Most finds earned board ranks Ducksters by that number. Top finders credits the person who found a duck. This board credits the person who released it.

Live activity on your dashboard

Your dashboard now shows recent site activity: finds, releases, and new messages in Duckster Chats. Your own ducks lead the feed. Ducks you follow come next, then the rest of the flock.

The feed checks for new activity while the page is open and flags when there is something new to load.

Mileage and VPN connections

Finders who skip location sharing get placed by their internet connection. A VPN or privacy relay reports a different city on each connection, and the site counted those jumps as travel.

Finds routed through a VPN, a privacy relay, or a data center no longer add distance. The find still counts and the duck still gets its pin. Home and mobile connections work as before.

Staff can reply in Duckster Chats

Moderators had to find a duck before they could post on its guestbook. They can now reply on any duck, and their messages carry an Admin or Moderator badge.

Pack prices and stock

Each pack holds pre-programmed NFC tags, holographic "You Found Me!" stickers, claim codes, and a quick-start card, individually wrapped. A finder taps the tag with a phone. No app, no code to type.

The Pack of 100 sold out and more are on order. The other four sizes ship now from duckytrack.com/ducklings.

If you have a pack on the way: claim each tag with its printed code, name the duck, then release it when you are ready.

Site totals when this was written: 394 ducks released, 88,173 miles logged, 515 finds across 15 countries, 127 Ducksters.