Love Above the Pond

While shadows stretch across the pond

And hush ensues below

Young lovers share a lofty perch

And bask in the evening glow.

If you're ever in Eureka, California, take the time to visit Sequoia Park. Not only can you drive through or walk among the giant redwoods, you can take the Skywalk for an overhead view. What's more, there's a small, but interesting zoo, complete with a petting zoo and cafe, a beautiful and informative flower garden and a nice playground/picnic area with a gazebo. It also has my favorite feature: a large duck pond.

My wife and I lived in this quaint coastal town for several years and visiting the pond with my camera became a habit I indulged in regularly. I photographed the garden, too, of course, and often took my grandson to the zoo, but the variety and constant activity at the pond just called to me.

It was frequented by several different species of duck, along with the occasional goose. Many of these were domestic, but in addition to several wild mallards, a small group of wood ducks also called it home. There were a handful of snapping turtles that stayed mostly on a central, concrete “island.”

Naturally, I have a huge collection of photos from this site and look through them often. The one above is one of my favorites because it captures the love and adoration between this young pair of “woodies,” which stands in stark contrast to the nature of many of the other species on the pond.

Most of the waterfowl were polygamous and competitive. Squabbles broke out often as male and female alike vied for alpha status. I witnessed the forced copulation that gangs of mallard drakes are known for on many occasions. It's driven by the urge to pass one's genes on to the offspring and it's one of nature's cold, hard facts. That doesn't make it any easier to watch.

In the midst of it all, the wood ducks simply moved aside and went about the business of feeding. When the activites got too out of hand, they'd retire to the trees. While most duck species are known to stay close to the ground, these little guys and gals actually build their nests in trees, often far from the water they inhabit during the day. They're also seasonally monogamous and keep their acts of procreation private. You could say they're a classy pair-a-ducks. (Sorry. Had to get that out of the way.)

While watching the pond one day, I noticed that one of the wood duck drakes had a constant “hitch” in his swimming style, as if he was only pushing with one foot. I eventually found that to be the case, since he only had one to push with. If you look at the photo closely, you'll see he's the one featured. An encounter with one of the turtles, perhaps?

The pair was already bonded when I “met” them and when she joined him on the water, she would press close against his side and help him maintain a more natural swimming path. He, in return, made it clear to any of the mallard drakes that got too close that the lady was his. His disability wouldn't keep him from getting in a bigger duck's face and they learned to respect him. He fed on the shore, which is fairly common for the species. During the day, they rested on the limb in this photo and it was rarely used by any other birds.

Now, these youngsters were relatively shy, so waiting for them to swim my direction for a photo was futile. If I moved to a different position on the shore, they'd move just far enough away on the water. On this particular day, I stayed until late afternoon, and as the sun dropped toward the horizon, they flew up to perch and catch its last rays. When the sunbeam hit the branch, this gentleman hopped backward and let his ladyfriend have that last bit of warmth. That's not nature taking its course, folks. That's love, and no one is going to convince me otherwise.

I just managed to brace my elbows on my knees and catch this shot at 300mm. It's not one of my best, but I'm happy with the warmth of the moment.

I think we humans could learn a thing or two from this couple.

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Thanks for reading!