What are the hope for Spring,1 two ducks, and a golden pheasant?
Today’s Dickinson-flavored, Jeopardy-formatted lust for warm weather post not only entreats the powers that be for the immediate onset of a true Spring season but also serves to point out that Mr. Science is not the only observer of our feathered friends.
Duck Duck
Waterfowl of all sorts frequently stop for a layover in this area in the Spring on their return leg of their Fall flight to southern climes.
These two ducks were especially thoughtful in their choices of roosting places. They promenaded the width and breath of the roof, finally perching on its ridge so that I didn’t even have to rise from my desk chair to keep an eye on them.
The Complete Catalog Of The Colorful Flying Creatures Of Northern Illinois
I discovered this specimen one June morning as I strolled out my front door to pick up the newspaper.
Even someone innocent of any ornithological knowledge, such as myself, recognizes that this bird just doesn’t have the look of a long-time resident of northern Illinois.
My two alternative theories follow:
- No longer willing to tolerate its role as the mascot of the similarly colored hot air balloon (see below) that wandered close enough to my office shortly after daybreak that I could hear the conversation of the folks in the basket, the bird was making its break for freedom
- It was an ordinary Illinois bird dressed for the Chicago gay pride parade scheduled for later that same day
The less intriguing but doubtlessly more accurate explanation, proffered by the two available correspondents I was able to poll, Mr. Science and Mindspinner, is that this is a Golden Pheasant, native to forests in mountainous areas of western China and one of the most popular of all pheasant species kept in captivity, who, upon escaping such captivity, dropped in at Heck Of A House for a visit.
Footnotes
- Real Spring, not calendar Spring↩
