I Know That Duck
For the past two weeks, I have been haunted by Mystery Ducks.
I have always enjoyed ducks. As a child, my family would raise them - not as food, or even as pets, really. Just to watch them paddle around and go about their duck business. They're relaxing to watch, and they're cute.
But unfortunately, I've had rotten luck with ducks when it comes to birdwatching. Not from a lack of trying - I almost exclusively birdwatch by rivers and by the sea in hopes of seeing some. (I am biased towards water birds.) But, throughout the years, the only ducks I've seen have been mallards. Which I like! They're cute! I like their quacks! But it's slightly demoralizing to keep looking for new ducks for years and coming back empty handed.
Two weeks ago, I was driving to work. My route takes me past a river with a lovely trail that runs along it, which is one of my favorite birding spots. From the road, you can see the river, and from my car, I saw them. Ducks! New ones! I couldn't see them well, as I was driving, but you could tell at a glance they weren't mallards - white bodies, dark heads. I genuinely had to debate whether stopping to look at them was worth being late to work. But unfortunately, my (thin, frail) sense of responsibility won out, and I drove on. For the next couple of weeks, I would occasionally see them, but only while I was driving and never when I had the time to stop.
So, today, I woke up with a sense of purpose. This was my first day to myself since I first spotted them - no errands, no work - so I strapped on my shoes, grabbed my binoculars, and went out to where I'd been seeing my ducks.
They weren't there.
I walked around for a bit, went to all my usual spots. No ducks. I was underdressed for the weather - the wind was especially harsh near the water. By time I'd checked all my usual spots, I was cold and disappointed and I wanted to go home. As a last ditch effort, I decided to check out one last place I pretty much never go to for a few reasons. First off, it's a long way to walk. Second, I've never, ever, ever had good luck birding there. There's just straight up never any birds. But, eh, what the hell. So I went.
And there they were!
Say it with me...
I KNOW THAT DUCK!
THAT AIN'T NO STRANGER!
I KNOW THAT DUCK!
THAT'S A COMMON MERGANSER!
Three females, seven or eight males. I love the dimorphism in these guys. The ladies have very funny haircuts. One of the females was especially spicy - she was approaching the males while they were minding their own business and trying to bite them. Deserved?
Meanwhile, this poor lad was getting his feathers messed up by that crazy wind. Everyone point and laugh.
All in all, it was a successful birdwatching trip! I got to see a new lifer (my first ducks besides mallards!), and I got to identify the mystery birds that had been plaguing me for weeks. Despite the cold, I only ended up turning back when my phone died. They really are such a treat to watch, especially when they're doing funny duck business.
