My best friends, if I do say so myself
When I was growing up, it wasn’t as widely known as it is today that you shouldn’t feed birds bread. My grandmother had a habit of going to the balcony and adding to her bird feeder breadcrumbs from the cutting board after she’d sliced some bread for dinner. I was raised with the idea that it’s perfectly natural to leave a few pieces of a crumbled bun or a pizza crust on the ground to help our winged friends survive winter – and kind-hearted child as I was, I did just that.
I know better now. As the sun climbs higher in the sky on a glorious early spring morning, I stand in my kitchen, dressed in comfy clothes, packing lunch – a mix of millet, oats, and raw, unsalted sunflower seeds – for my favourite residents of the neighbourhood park.
There weren’t any duck ponds in my hometown, so now that I live in a bigger city with multiple duck hangouts, I can’t get enough of them. I watch them with the attention and excitement of a golden retriever as they waddle around on the shore or dive for food with their legs and tails floating on the water. Ducks are loud talkers; they always have a lot to say. They give you attitude like no teenager ever could, yet their patience for anyone’s shenanigans is unapologetically low.
My ducks understand what’s about to happen before I even throw the first handful of bird feed. They run towards me with the determination and noise of an army charging into battle, occasionally pecking at one another’s tails. I scold them for being mean, but secretly I’m enjoying the show. It hurts my feelings – though I’ll never let the ducks see it – that they don’t follow me around once they’ve realized I have no food left.
Feeding ducks is like ordering takeout: I do it on good days to celebrate, and on bad days to cheer myself up. It costs a lot less than takeout, though, and it makes me feel loads better about my average weekly step count. It also adds variety to my photo gallery, otherwise monopolized by pictures of my cat. I don’t pretend the ducks care about me in any role other than a food provider, but we have an understanding. I care very much about them. And that is enough for me to come back.
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