February 17, 2018: As I stare out the window at an all-day blizzard, and daydream of Spring around the corner, my mind drifts to new life and ducklings, and trips over this memory of a humorous encounter from two days before Mother’s Day, 2015.
There’s a spot on the southwest side of Michaelbrook Marsh, where, if we leave the open playing field and sneak through the long grass, and carefully make our way around the wild roses, we can observe a log that often hosts a Great Blue Heron using it as hunting platform. More likely, though, it’s occupied by bale of Western Painted Turtles.
On this day in May, however, approaching very cautiously, I was delighted to find a mother Hooded Merganser and her chicks sitting between a pair of turtles. Fascinated, I recorded the scene. When I got home, my imagination took over, and this fantasy played out. And, while admitting that I speak neither Merganserese or Turtleian, I’m confident that this is what was happening….
So the turtles were acting as guards, lookouts, really. Mom was busy just watching over her babies. Boyfriend Pete is, as is the Hoodies’ custom, nowhere to be found at this time.
Among the chicks, most, as is normal, were simply sunning and being good.
But Georgetta and Herman (on the right) were restive, the brother, in particular.
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Guard on the left: “Jeeze, I wish Frank didn’t have his butt right in my face.”
Mom: “Such a lovely day. And such a lovely family. I’m so lucky!”
Georgetta: “Wanna go swimmin, brother?”
Herman: “Stop crowdin’ me, Georgetta. I don’t wanna go swimmin’ again!”
Guard on the right: “Man, I hate Merg Duty, especially when there’s so many of these little brats!”
Georgetta: “That’s not a ponee; it’s a elefunk!”
Mom: “Oh dear!”
Guard: “Must keep a stiff upper lip!”
Georgetta: “I bet you can’t stay on for five seconds….”
Mom: “Oh dear!”
Guard: “That tickles! Must keep a stiff upper lip!”
Georgetta: “I told you—it ain’t a ponee; it’s a elefunk!”
Mom: “Oh dear!”
Guard: “What do they think I am, a pony?”
Herman: “Maybe this IS a elefunk! It sure is slow!”
Mom: “Oh dear!”
Guard: “One-a-these-days, I’m gonna….!”
Georgetta: “MO-OM! Herman’s not sharing the elefunk!”
Mom: “Oh for Pete’s sake! Speaking of Pete, he’s gonna get an earful if he ever comes back.
Nobody told me there’d be days like this!”
Guard: “My lips are numb!”
Georgetta quit pestering to ride, and
Mom put her hair up to warn the other chicks not to do anything foolish!
As for the guard, he never let on another thing!
A couple of days later, this incident apparently forgotten, I observed the chicks having a ball in their bathtub, making as many bubbles as they possibly could….
~~ The end…. ~~
birds & musings 