About ducks and Dumbo

Yes, that really is a duck perching on my roof, I didn’t believe it either the first time I saw it. How could a web-footed bird possibly land on a narrow, tiled ridge? I thought elderly decay was setting in and that I was seeing things but no, the next time I looked it wasn’t just one duck but three! A duck and two drakes. I watched them fly down into my garden and reconnoitre the fish pond – at that point in the ponds history it was yet to be visited by a heron and wasn’t netted – so they took possession, swam happily about and stirred up all the mud.

The next year, they were back again although this time they encountered the net, because my fish had encountered the heron, who made a hearty breakfast of them.

As time has gone by my neighbours and I have all got quite used to them and we greet their arrival as a sign of Spring! But I still haven’t worked out how on earth they managed to land and to keep their balance. It makes me think of the song in Walt Disney’s film Dumbo, “Ah think Ah’ll ha’ seen everything, when Ah see a elephant fly”. And it reminds me of Obama’s wonderful slogan during that first election campaign “Yes we can!”

Or to put it another way, you never know what you’re capable of until you try. Very encouraging creatures ducks and flying elephants.