These new surroundings I have found myself in are much different than what I left behind. This new 'home' sits amidst many apartment buildings. For being nestled right next to the biggest city in North Carolina, it is surprisingly quiet. The winding streets that lace their way around the buildings, sometimes ending in a cul-de- sac, are private roadways for the residents who live here. There is more traffic on the street that I grew up on, in a tiny mid-western town with a population of 1200 or so, than there is here.
The area is set with rolling hills, pine trees, zillions of pine cones, (that I may have to start picking up and grab my glue gun) and three ponds. The folks here refer to the biggest pond as a lake, but to me, it's not much bigger than my favorite fishing hole back home. Even though the traffic can be heard rushing by on the outer roads and the nearby airport lends the sound of incoming and outgoing aircraft, this place is almost like being in the country.
It is also a winter haven for the Canadian Goose and there is a pair of them on the pond, named Large Pond, that Runtly, the ever entertaining Jack Russell Terrier, and I walk to each day. The other pond is called Big Pond but it is not as big as Large Pond. My small map of the area shows no name for the lake, perhaps it is Lake Biggest.
Runtly is not a fan of anything that honks and that includes large water fowl. The first day, a small formation of geese flew over our heads, honking, and Runtly was making his way back to the door. This was also true for the many cawing crows that live here, but he is finally getting acclimated to the sounds.
Runtly's first encounter with the geese went well. I held him back, with his leash fully extended, as I watched the pair skim across the pond in our direction. The lead goose had its neck also fully extended. I have seen that goose body language before and it usually means they are not a happy goose. By the time they reached the edge of the pond, Runtly had lost interest in them and they must have decided he was not big enough to be a threat. Even when I took the pieces of bread, to feed the geese, they paid little attention to him as he lunged for the chunks that did not land in the water.
One day, as we were walking, we came around a corner and there sat seven geese on a small grassy hill, right in the middle of one of the parking lots. A couple of them honked and pumped their necks up and down. Runtly did not know what to think, being in such close proximity, but I believe it was at that moment when he decided it was best to leave them alone.
Large Pond also has a couple of pair of Mallard ducks, but they usually stay to opposite side of wherever we are standing. As we walked down the road, above Large Pond, I noticed a large ripple forming in the center of the pond. I stopped and watched, wondering if the pond held fish big enough to make that size of a wake. A few seconds later four ducks popped up from the water. I thought they were Wood Ducks because of their markings and I was elated because I had never seen a Wood Duck in real life. They would dive into the water and then resurface nearly on the other side of the pond. After watching them for several minutes, one of the females came up from the water and was bathed in sunlight. It was then that the Voice, that lives in my head, was waving a page from my bird book.
Since the bird book got left behind, as soon as I got back 'home', I did a search for pictures of wood ducks on the computer. Nope, they were not Wood Ducks. They were Hooded Mergansers. Male Hooded Mergansers are a beautiful duck species that have striking black and white markings. The female Hooded Merganser.....not so much. They have feathers on their head, that are usually standing right straight up, that give new meaning to a 'bad hair' day along with being a drab brown color. We human females should learn something from this, guys really don't care how much time we spend on our hair.
Years ago, a friend of my folks, who was an avid hunter, gave Mother a couple of ducks already prepared to be cooked. She flew, no pun intended, into the kitchen and set out to make what I have always referred to as the duckiest meal ever. Everything tasted like duck. There was duck dressing, duck gravy and duck duck. I've never had the desire to eat duck again.
I will continue to enjoy their beauty in real life and maybe, the next stroll taken down to Large Pond will reveal a new species.....I sure hope it's the Wood Duck.
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