In search of the rare silver-winged water fowl

  There were rumors.  It had been spotted by more than a few people.  Something folks around these parts have never seen before!   I wasn’t sure that I believed it…until I caught a flash of silver as I drove by the rumored pond on my way to the grocery store.

  This little pond happens to abutt the back of This Old House’s property, and it borders the main drag most people take in and out of town.  So yesterday Ben and I took a walk out back to see if we could get a glimpse. I wasn’t hopeful because the trail narrows and the  brush gets thick around that pond and who knows whether the silver winged water fowl was still in residence. Or if it had ever existed at all, for that matter.

   With hiking boots, tick repellent and stoic resolve we headed into the wilderness, unsure of the length of the journey or it’s outcome. As with all great journeys, there were risks. It’s hunting season after all, so I wore bright yellow and talked nonsense with great frequency and volume.

Ben was up for the task.

 Our first leg was uneventful…
…except for the passing of the chicken manure pile in the back field.
You remember the flies, right?
And the man’s denial that it had anything to do with this HUGE MOUND OF SH*T ?!

Back to the journey…

 We avoided the consumption of poisonous berries….

Considered harvesting mushrooms for the evening meal…
Decided against it since I haven’t a clue as to which are edible unless they’ve come
from the grocery store in a cardboard carton…

The woods became dense and the trail less obvious…

but the sky was still friendly and the temperatures moderate…so we forged ahead.

I made note of markers along the way as the trail narrowed to non-existence.
As we neared the body of water the moss grew thicker and the footing became treacherous.

 Just as I was about to give in and go home, out of the corner of my eye…..
 I saw something….

 Good Lord, the rumor is true.
Behold the rare silver winged duck.
And there is more than one!

There is a moral to my story.
When your son  who has no interest in hunting comes home with an armload
 of old decoys he bought from the neighbor’s yard sale

..disappearing into the garage and mysteriously into the woods for an hour or two…

 don’t be afraid to ask the Big Questions.
I suppose this is our version of Graffiti here in the sticks.

17 thoughts on “In search of the rare silver-winged water fowl”

  1. Fantastic post! Your photos make me want to jump on a plane and get to your neighborhood, right now. Ben and I would have such a romp in the woods in search of rare birds and what not.

    How far from your house to Boston? I will be in Boston in January.

  2. Hee hee hee… I love your sense of humor and the trepidation as you head out into the foresty unknown… LOL

    I'd shoot the duck and put it over the mantle. LOL OH, wait, it would turn into splinters!!!

    DI

  3. Ha! Love it!!! Snappy Di's comment is hilarious! Absolutely AWESOME scenery Karen!!! Not to mention the fact that you ROCK as a photographer!!

  4. Ha ha! Love it, and I so bought into it too 🙂 Your photos are awesome, and if it weren't for the SNOW covering the ground here today and the gale force winds, I would take that same walk myself…

  5. aHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! So that's who put that freaking decoy in the pond! I knew IMMEDIATELY what you were referring to!!!!!

  6. Beautiful photo's, Karen. You do indeed live surrounded by awesome nature. Hey, you know? I wouldn't have known that was a decoy if your other readers hadn't pointed it out? I'm slow that way you know. 🙂

    Have a great day!

  7. that was very well done. You are very clever and I am still in awe of your talent with the camera. Now on the topic of decoys, carrying them through the woods is the hardest part of bear hunting. And I have never attempted elephant decoy toting.
    And when I get a bike on the road, I'm coming your way first!

  8. I think my little houligan was a part of that adventure too….. Hey, they gotta keep busy here in the sticks….things could be worse, they could be painting your beautiful rock walls!
    ahahahahahaahhaaaah!!!!

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