Pool season is back

Muse #482 - And with strange visitors

My neighbor’s pool has reopened again after being closed for winter. And an unusual visitor is back. A duck. And she does laps up and down the pool enjoying the water and the smoothness of the glide. She was there last year and nearly within a week of that time. She’s mentally correcting for seasonal and yearly weather pattern changes I guess.

Birds have excellent memories. Many birds store nuts, seeds, fruit, and other food items often five to ten kilometers away from where they nest or live which typically translates to a 100 sq kilometers area where they are able to go back and retrieve them as well as make their way exactly back to their nest. That is some built-in capability. And of course, there are other migratory birds that travel thousands of kilometers to the same spots they migrate to and from, each year.

Last year the duck was a royal pain in the ass to our neighbor. She was continually visiting the pool for several days to spend time in it. Our neighbor bought large floating toys - a blue dolphin and a big green crocodile hoping that would deter her. But, alas they didn’t. She would come and perch majestically on top of the crocodile to sunbathe and it was an interesting sight to see.

This year though, my neighbor has a secret weapon. He has a new dog. A puppy still, but she loves to jump into the water. So, I am waiting to see the duck vs dog entanglements and whether that deters the duck at all in any way. Watch this space.