I love the fact that I have some unusual entries on my Backyard Bird List. Not everyone can claim grouse, turkeys, hawks, owls and pileated woodpeckers. But, my neighbors at the bottom of the mountain have bested me. Every evening at dusk, a pair of mallards flies in to roost on the edge of their small manmade koi pond. This has been going on every summer for 4 years. Knowing that I’m a “bird nut” (their words, not mine), they gleefully describe every behavioral detail of “Mallard and Mallady”. Since the nearest duck-friendly body of water is less than a half-mile away, I have to admit that it’s pretty cool this avian couple has chosen to set up house in such an unlikely spot. When they first arrived, we speculated that perhaps they were “newlyweds” who had slipped away for a private rendezvous far from the quacking crowd. But after 4 years, you have to wonder.

The Neighbors know I’m jealous, and they really rub it in. Let’s face it, unless the Polar Icecap melts there will never be waterfowl on my List, and I do have a soft spot for shorebirds, waders and ducks. When I was a kid, and lived in the country, my cousin and I had a pair of ducks named “Quick” and “Quack”. We won them at the State Fair when they were fuzzy little ducklings. When they got too big for the washtub we had commandeered from my grandmother, we took them down to our pond, where they were released and happily thrived. Caring for these creatures, and watching them grow was one of my happiest and most formative childhood memories. When I relayed this nostalgic story to Mr. and Mrs. Neighbor, they were politely attentive (while obviously trying to conceal the giggles), but I could tell they were also enjoying the fact that they had one over on me. Then they struck.

A week later, when I returned home from work one evening, I discovered my very own pair of water-loving avians sitting in the birdbath. There, in their golden splendor, were two perfect examples of a well-known species floating contentedly in the basin. I know who put them there. Since I’m usually the prankster, not the “prankee”, I greatly admired having the tables turned on me. However, I have yet to acknowledge the event to my neighbors. Oh, they know I know who did it. And, I know they know I know. But what they DON’T know is that very night, I pulled out my Backyard Bird List, and excitedly added the new species to the bottom. Now the last three entries read….

Barred Owl	(Stigidae Strix varia)
Red Tailed Hawk	(Accipitridae Buteo jamaicensis)
Rubber Duckies	(Anatidae Duckus rubberus)