ARE WE THERE YET? ~~ UPDATE ON THE POND ~~ PUZZLE UPDATE ~~ PARTING SHOT

ARE WE THERE YET?

We all know that when it comes time for Daylight Savings Time to end, Spring can't be too far behind. Our optimism is reflected in the fact that we got a new flag for our front yard, and it excels in expressing our hopes.

A harbinger

Other signs of Spring are evident in our yard. Besides the crocuses that are coming up, we also have some remnants of my greens garden appearing. These are welcome in that they are actually something that we can consume right now, although not on a large scale. The parsley, pictured below, has been green all winter. I have already harvested some of it a few times to go in my cooking.

Cook's delight

We also have some kale that has hung in there all winter. To me, this looks like a small palm tree of some kind. This is very much in keeping with Yakima's nickname as "the Palm Springs of Washington."  LOL

Our favorite leafy green

And every year we are heartened by the blooming of our lovely daffodils. Although, this year I'm afraid they may suffer some freeze damage next week if our temperatures dip down into the teens, as predicted.

UPDATE ON THE POND

Since we have been having spring-like weather, we decided to go to Randall Park Sunday and check on the ducks and geese. The last time we went there with a bag of cracked corn, our offering was not as popular as it had been in the colder weather, so we didn't take any this time. When we arrived at the park the ducks did not even come running up to greet us for several minutes.

I am always amazed at how many different species of ducks there are at this park. It seems like every so often when we go, there are some new residents that we have not seen before. There was one in particular that I noticed, and I will post some video of that one a little further down on the blog. These familiar faces in the video below came to greet us after we had gotten out of the truck.

A lone male Mallard duck came very close up to me, I guess he was checking to make sure I didn't have any corn for him. Next we ran into a group of American Wigeons who were grazing in the grass (can you dig it?). Some of the Wigeons were a bit different from the others, with iridescent green on their heads. I zoomed in on one little guy to get some good video to help me identify him, and when I got home I looked it up. I found out that the reason for the partially green head is because those ducks are breeding males. After we left the Wigeon group, we were besieged by what I like to call the Brown Gang. This is the group of domesticated ducks that we saw last time we were at the park. After the noisy BBJ's (big brown jobs), we encountered another duck that we have seen quite often. Upon looking this one up, the only thing I could find was that it is a Black and White Domestic Duck. I think he should be named Black & White Quacker. Finally, the video above ends with a group of Mallards, both male and female.

The ducks were not wary of us at all, maybe we have been going enough that they are used to us. Whatever the reason, I am usually able to get some good closeup pictures of them.

The female duck in the top picture looks like a Mallard, but she does have some extra white feathers on her, so I am guessing that she is either a hybrid or else is slightly leucistic, (pronounced loo-sis-tic) which means she has a partial loss of pigmentation in the feathers. Leucism causes the bird to have white or patchy pale feathers over various parts of their body, but it does not effect their eyes. The entire bird can be white, but it would not have the pink eyes characteristic of albino birds. Leucism is also evident in other wildlife, not just birds. That cute fellow in the bottom picture is a regular male Mallard, and he posed so pretty for me I just had to get his picture.

Linda and I soon left the open meadow area of the park and walked over to the pond. There was a large group of Canada geese sitting on the pond, just quietly watching as if they were "Geese at the Opera." A group of four ducks were swimming back and forth, with one guy who just couldn't seem to keep up. Two members of the Brown Gang were engaging in a courtship ritual when they were interrupted by a mass arrival of Wigeons and Mallards.

Halfway across the pond is a small island that the ducks like to get on to rest without being disturbed by us pesky humans. There was a solitary Canada goose standing guard on a log, casually scanning the area from time to time. If he didn't have such a black neck and head, he would be perfectly camouflaged.

Sentinel

At the other end of the pond I spotted a new resident calmly swimming around. I don't think we have seen this fellow before, so I got some good video (below) of him, including a fantastic view of his magnificent white butt. This was the one thing about this guy that made me notice him. When we got home and looked at the video, Linda and I were both puzzled as to whether this was a goose or a large duck. Upon using my best friend Google, I found that this is a Greylag Goose, which is commonly found in the United Kingdom (article here). Every now and then a vagrant is found in North America (click here for an article about a sighting in Rhode Island). Judging by the great number of domestic ducks at Randall pond, it is possible that this was an escapee from a domestic situation.

Soon it was time to be leaving the park until next time, so after a brisk walk around the pathway, we made like these two geese and departed.

PUZZLE UPDATE

Sometimes when we puzzle in the afternoons, it is the coziest spot in the house. The whole family has to get in on the act and that includes little Summer Girl, who tries her best to "help." Most of the time, her idea of helping is to swipe at our hands when we go for a puzzle piece.

Summer Girl helping

PARTING SHOT

Not only does Summer Girl know how to puzzle, apparently she knows how to read, too!

That's all for this week, my friends. Join us again next week for more from the Southerner in the Northwest!