Madame and Monsieur

Madame

This spring, my backyard ground feeder has been frequented by a pair of Mallard Ducks. Madame and Monsieur, as they have now been named, arrive early evening to dine on the cracked corn scattered on the ground by the neighborhood wildlife. Surrounded by hyperactive squirrels and bickering crows, Madame and Monsieur quietly eat, ignoring the chaos. When full, the two fly towards the bay, a short flight west of the house.

But Sunday was a different story. The two appeared around noontime but didn’t seem all that interested in the corn. Monsieur wandered half way up the hillside, sat down in the leaves and quickly fell asleep. Tucking her right leg under her wing feathers, Madame stood closed by.

I gathered up my camera equipment and walked outside towards the pair. Madame was unperturbed by my presence, allowing me to move my tripod and camera to within 15 feet of her. I set the camera to video and watched. At first Madame continually surveyed the yard, her head turning back and forth. Her body remained still, an amazing feat considering that the entire time I watched her, she balanced her bulky frame on one leg. After awhile it was obvious that Madame needed a nap too. She began to close and open her eyes in a vain attempt to stay awake. Exhaustion soon overwhelmed her and Madame fell asleep, still standing on one leg.

I folded up my tripod and walked silently back to the house as not to disturb their afternoon nap. The two slept for another 15-20 minutes, then flew off.

Using the Birds of North America website (www.bna.birds.cornell.edu) I read that this behavior is common in Mallard Ducks. Upon finding an open area, safe from predators and sheltered from the wind, Mallard Ducks will use the midday sun and warmth to bathe, preen and sleep. Mallards have a two hemisphere brain that independently regulates the opening and closing of their eyes. This independent function allows the bird to sleep with one eye closed and the other open in order to remain on guard for predators. Something to look for the next time Madame and Monsieur come by to nap in the yard.

Monsieur

Spring Visitors

Mourning Dove

Whitetail Deer

Eastern Cottontail 

Chipmunk

Eastern Grey Squirrel - black coloration - 8 weeks old

Red Squirrel

Female Mallard Duck

Male Mallard Duck - Mate to Female above

Pictures: Take a Look Through Nature’s Most Transparent Animals

Pictures: Take a Look Through Nature’s Most Transparent Animals

Grape Hyacinths

I went outside this morning to pick flowers from my front yard. The grape hyacinths given to me by my mother years ago have spread beyond the flower bed and into the lawn that now needs to be mowed.  Instead of mowing down the tiny purple flowers, I decided to create a small arrangement for my desk.  To bring contrast to my little arrangement, I put in the first lily of the valley of the season. Their bright white flowers make a colorful and aromatic addition to the bouquet.

Spring is my favorite time of the year. After long dark months of winter, the arrival of spring reawakens my senses. Overhead, the skeletal maples and oaks have begun to fill out with miniature leaves. On the ground, the ferns rise up from the soil covering the front yard with curled fiddleheads. The forsythia flowers are peaking this week and soon will drop, covering the ground with a layer of yellow petals.  The morning air is a symphony of bird songs as migrating birds join the chorus of mourning doves and chickadees.

A friend generously offered me her raised vegetable beds to use this summer. I am anxious to dig into the soil, sowing lettuce seeds, planting pepper plants.  But winter refuses to release its grip and I refuse to subject tender young plants to the cruelties of cold and snow. Eventually the battle between winter and spring will end, hopefully in spring’s favor.  Then, dirt will embed beneath my fingernails; my back will ache gloriously from hours bent over in planting and weeding.

In the meantime, I am planning a day trip to the local nature reserves in search of spring wildflowers and mushrooms. Like the short lives of the wildflowers that bloom this time of the year, spring transitions too soon into summer. It’s time to be outside.