I decided to go for a walk on the driveway this evening. When I opened the front door, I spooked some birds that had been hanging around the edges of my yard. More of them flew away when I walked outside.
At first I thought they were geese. But, as I walked down the driveway, they flew over the trees, then passed directly overhead. They quacked angrily at me, sounding very ducklike. As they made their way back to the spot they’d been before, they waddled by a light at the corner of the house, throwing giant bird shadows on a rock. Once they were past the light, I was surprised to see how small they actually were. Definitely not goose-sized. And though the light was dim, I could see that the birds looked more like ducks than geese. So, though it’s odd to see ducks in my yard, that must have been what they were. (Now that I think about it, “odd ducks” are not uncommon around here 😉 .)
I watched for a minute or so as they started digging into the leaves, presumably hunting for food. That part of the yard is probably one of the few places around here not covered in ice and snow right now. The only noise was the whispering of the moving leaves.
I walked up and down the driveway a few times without the ducks noticing, but then I accidentally startled them again. They flew right over my head, wave after wave, too close for comfort. I put my head down and squeezed my eyes closed, thinking, “Don’t poop on me. Don’t poop on me. Please don’t poop on me.”
They did not poop on me, I’m happy to say. But I couldn’t help thinking about bird flu, and that spoiled any wish I had to be outside. I went back inside without finishing my walk.