Morning walk

[redbird]

The red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator) that I saw yesterday morning was back; this time, we saw him on the way out, meaning cattitude got to watch him as well. Someone asked me "That's not a mallard, is it?" so I told her it was a merganser and, after another question, that it's a diving duck. The first red-winged blackbirds have also arrived; they, and the robins, are singing loudly, trying to claim territory.

Many daffodils are blooming, as are the chionodoxa, and we still have lots of crocuses. It's a gorgeous blue morning, and I watched the merganser some more after walking Cattitude most of the way to the subway. At one point, the merganser tried to surface right under a swan; he dove again immediately, and I laughed quietly. By the time I'd headed back in, he'd taken some time to preen and apparently gone to sleep.

Comments

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Was briefly confused, and wondered, "why would cattitude try to surface under a swan? What can she possibly mean?"

[redbird]

Edited to clarify; thanks.

[cattitude.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to start a new fad: Extreme swan-upping. I've already got ESPN on board; I just need to find a techno band that will sing about it.