Well, it's another January 1st and I started it like I start nearly every morning - waking up on my trusty ol' couch.


While I like the "revolutionary" version of the start of the year - Winter Solstice - I'm not gonna whine about it on Tweeters. For that I'll go to the local Druids Support Group - I'm sure there is one here in Port Townsend, somewhere.


I wasn't really paying attention on the solar-based first day , but the first birds I saw this morning were Mallard Ducks, which was probably the same as on the Solstice - it's a pretty regular species seen here over the Two room Ranch where I live. Let me explain.


Just down the little bumpy street I live on, several home dwellers , on either side the street from each other, feed ducks. It is not uncommon to have to slow down driving in and out of my place (or even walking) so the well-fed ducks can waddle out of the roadway. The ducks, sometimes up to 100 or so, are all Mallards. No Smews, Tufted Ducks, or anything unusual like that. The Mallards fly back and forth from these feed yards back to several of those somewhat odd rectangular retention ponds just uphill from my place, where I've also seen Widgeons, but I've never seen Widgeons eating down in the yards with the Mallards.


So anyhoo, my "windows (2) on the world" are up a bit high on the walls here, so from my couch my view is of sky and some tree and shrub tops, and the sky is often replete with groups of fast low- flying Mallards- a wonderful thing to see from a couch, really. Oh sure, they're common, but so far I've never gotten tired of seeing a Mallard.


When I get ambitious I can waddle down the hill to Kah Tai Lagoon, where there's quite a variety of waterfowl.


Jeff Gibson

just ducky in

Port Townsend Wa