When I rounded the corner of the utility building beside the skateboard park, there were all these ducks, sitting or standing near the puddles that had formed overnight from the rain. Many had their heads tucked under their wings.
But when you got a little closer, you could see that they still had one eye open.
The drake on the right with his beak open was quacking but not very loudly. It looks more animated than it was. They were pretty calm, these ducks, even if it was midmorning and people were walking by.
This is the long view, which shows them all in context, with the bike path, parking and garbage near by. A busy spot but when you need a nap, you just have to take one.
When I got over to the Loblaws, I noticed a flock of pigeons had decided to catch a few rays up near the peak of the roof.
I wonder how comfortable it is, hanging onto roofing tiles with one's toenails? Maybe if you only weigh a few bird ounces, it isn't such a big deal.
6 comments:
Awesome photo of the ducks. The one on the right looks like he was telling you to bugger off! Now how do you know she's (or he I guess) is a drake? I hope it has to do with colouring or beak type or something.
Didn't see much action in the park this morning with the fresh coat of white stuff. Logan quickly remembered that he likes to roll in snow!
With Mallards, it is obvious which one is the drake. He has the iridescent green head and the white ring around his neck, along with all the other colour differences. The females (the ducks) are all mottled brown with only a bit of colour in the wing. Most ducks, like geese, mate for life so you often see a Mr. and Mrs. Duck together. If you see a whole flock of just males or just females, they might be adolescents.
I remember how Uma loved to roll in fresh snow!
PS How is it that I never knew iridescent only has one R??
It's funny, just yesterday I was wondering how much a pigeon weighs. There were about 75 of them sitting on a telephone wire at Somerset and Lyon, and I was calculating the weight on the wire. I generously estimated them to be half a pound each.
The first web site I went to said they can weigh between 10 and 16 ounces. That's a whole pound! Zoiks. No wonder people eat them (after they call them "squab").
My general reaction to city pigeons has always been either a yawn or ptooey. Then one day I began watching a flock in flight and discovered that they bore a strong resemblance to an Escher print as the lot of them suddenly swerved and they changed from blackish to white.
Granny J, as you know, it's all about perception. Pigeons are great survivors and should be admired for their adaptability if nothing else.
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