Bye-Bye Birdie

Even from a distance, I knew it was gonna be sad. I spotted the black and white form in the gutter from perhaps 20 yards away, and thought at first it was a dead magpie, its left wing fluttering with each passing car. It wasn't until I actually wandered onto the asphalt to check it out that I realized it was a male mallard, identified by its emerald head and orange legs, a white ring circling its neck.

About a week ago, I saw a mallard standing alongside the road in a different location, near a creek where I'd often seen a male swimming with its mate. I'd worried about this pair, as they'd acclimated to the comings and goings of trail visitors, and were feeding too closely to the edge (meaning they were within grabbing distance, not that anyone would necessarily want to grab a duck, but you never know). At any rate, I mentioned to Steve that I was worried about that duck getting hit, so to find a dead duck in the gutter today was disconcerting.

I hope it wasn't "my" guy. I don't want that little female to be alone.