The Duck Pond

Every evening at 5:00, my mom has the same routine. She walks over to her neighborhood pond with a Tupperware of duck food. And every evening at 5:00, the ducks and geese have the same routine too - they are already waiting. 

One day while on a walk in her neighborhood, she noticed all the different kinds of ducks and geese in the water. She started her research there, looking into what was healthy for them to eat. She began visiting them periodically. 

Eventually, my mom started recognizing and naming the birds. They all have different personalities. The little white ducks are always eager to walk right up. The larger geese tend to keep their distance. The ducks and geese seem to recognize her too. When she approaches the pond, they paddle their way toward the shore. As they waddle onto the grass, many of them wag their tail feathers - something ducks do when they’re excited or settling their feathers after a swim. They quack eagerly because they know exactly what time it is.

Watching my mom interact with them also made me realize how naturally people project their own habits and personalities onto animals. Once you start seeing the same birds every day, it becomes easy to imagine them as individuals with their own routines.

I now know way too much about ducks. Some things I didn’t necessarily want to know (mainly their mating habits, gender roles, and such). But my mom’s curiosity has made me surprisingly interested in listening to anything she wants to tell me about them. 

The Mallard is easy to spot and abundant. Males have a green head, yellow bill, and gray body. Females are mottled brown with an orange bill. These are the run-of-the-mill suburban pond duck. One of my favorite things about birds is that the males are more flamboyant. Male birds use their bright feathers to attract mates, while the females have duller colors that help them camouflage while nesting.

Next is the Canada Goose. These fellas were hesitant at first, and even a bit hostile. But they warm up over time. They are larger than the ducks, with long black necks striped by a white chinstrap marking, and a brown body. 

Next (and my mom’s favorite) is the Greylag goose. My mom named the friendliest one Mable. They look more like a large, round duck than a goose to me. They have gray bodies, white tails, and orange bills.

Finally (and my least favorite) is the Muscovy. They have chunky, patchy black-and-white bodies and red bumps around their faces. This duck is the reason I believe these birds to be modern-day dinosaurs. I also believe that if my mom had lived in the era of dinosaurs, she would have somehow befriended them too. They would walk over to her cave at 5 PM or something. But these Muscovies also bite a little harder when eating out of your hand, and that's why they are my least favorite. 

Earlier this winter, I joined my mom on one of these walks to the pond. She was greeted immediately by her friends and talked with them like they were old neighbors. She greeted them one by one and pointed out which ones had shown up that day. 

The funny thing is that when I’m visiting her house, if she ever gets distracted and it hits five, the ducks will sometimes wander up to her yard and wait for her there.

It’s incredible how something so ordinary and simple can feel so meaningful. A short walk to a suburban pond has turned into a daily connection: with the ducks, with the outdoors, and with each other.