I saw a Red Tailed hawk perched in a tree above the ducks I’d been watching. My photographic attention was not welcome and it flew away. I continued my duck study and suddenly they all got noisy and began plunging into the water. Then I saw the hawk, lift from low to high just above us. Apparently It had swooped in attempting to grab a duck. Later on, at the museum across the street, while looking for duck images I found an image of a falcon on the wall of a mortuary temple dated 1971-1926 BCE. The falcon represents “Behdel”, a form of the sky god Horus. It holds the hieroglyph of life and swoops above a duck. What is happening along the fens by the museum echoes what is portrayed by Egyptian artists four thousand years earlier.The duck is life that keeps our sky-life gods going.

How do we experience the world alone? How do we experience the world accompanied? Are there companions that we can be with and experience the world as if we were in solitude? Or is there always something lost in togetherness. Silvio Rodriquez has a song, “¿Dónde pongo lo hallado?”, in which he describes finding a loving companion and losing his conversations and connection with the doves, the moon…Can we have both? And a few more questions: With whom, or with what, are our deepest connections? In what company do we feel peace? With whom do we feel free?

Today was warmer, and maybe for that reason the duck party on the Muddy River seemed less festive. But the Hooded Mergansers and Wood Ducks have no way of dressing drab. What if we humans were always decked out in our brightest fanciest garb? Maybe like the Hooded Merganser, we would wear it unselfconsciously, no matter who our audience. Maybe like the Wood Duck we would try to hide when confronted with potentially threatening beings unlike ourselves. Whenever the Wood Ducks see me looking at them, they hide in the wooded banks of the river. On open water, it seems they almost cringe. It makes me think of high school. I was pretty shy in highschool. One high school friend, who had a pink mohawk, once explained to me that the best thing you could do with whatever made you different from the crowd was to flaunt it proudly and confidently, show off your specialness. Seems to be good advice, but I still love the Wood Ducks.

 

Winter days can seem so desolate; I sometimes imagine there are no living beings outside. Thanks to the ducks, for showing the world that freezing Winter days can be full of life and diversity. I’m lucky enough to live within a bike ride of the Muddy River; a shallow river surrounded by city streets, but none the less… Today the Mallards, Black Ducks, Ring-necked Ducks and Hooded Mergansers were all there. It was only because I was taking a photo of a Great Blue Heron that I saw the Wood Ducks. With open eyes and an open mind, we never know what we might see or where it might lead us. As Stevie Wonder says, “When you’re moving in the positive, your destination is the brightest star”. Cold dark days may feel a bit like hibernation time for us, but there’s a party going on if you’re a duck.

I have no photo of what I saw today. I made a painting long ago, that may give a bit of the feeling I had this morning when I saw it. During my urbanish backyard yoga practice, I watched a few snowflakes slowly drift toward the frozen ground. Then I saw it. A black feathered being soared gracefully across the yard. The huge dark shape and expansive wings grew larger until suddenly the bird was just above me. Alighting on the lowest branch of a maple tree I sat below, like a magician the bird grabbed a chunk of bread from the branch- left by a squirrel? Or by this same bird? We looked at each other for a moment Then the crows came calling, defending the neighborhood from this majestic and threatening wanderer, expander of territory. The raven flew off with a deep nasal croak, sounding out of place between houses and buildings, “corax”. Later pouring a cup of tea, I looked at the fortune on its label, “let things come to you”. Thank you raven, thank you world. (note: my friend from china says the raven is called “wu-ya” in mandarin. This also means crow. “Cuervo” in Spanish refers to both, as does “Corbeau” in French. These birds may seem similar, but they don’t seem to feel the bond, judging from their behavior towards one another. Maybe in this way they are like people of closely related ethinicities and cultures who war with one another; Or siblings who do not speak to one another for years. If you know the name for raven in another language, please add it to this list!)

Berry bushes know how to attract animal attention. Naturalist and nature lover’s challenge: Is there any connection between this bird’s proximity to train tracks and busy streets and the fact that it looks like a house sparrow with sooty plumage?

What nourishment do we find in times of scarcity? Where does our sustenance come from when all seems bare? Who and what keeps us alive?