Common Goldeneye Duck Dance

Two rivers deepening into one; less said, more meant... from Homecoming by Gwyneth Lewis 

One of my favourite local trails is in Settler's Fork Park at the confluence of the Grand and Speed Rivers. Many settlements and cities around the world are situated at the fork of two or more rivers. The rivers would provide transportation in multiple directions when land travel was difficult. The water at this confluence seldom freezes over in the winter due to the force of combined currents and migratory birds feed in the open water during our coldest months. At any time of year, it is an excellent birding spot. 

I was contemplating the quote attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus which says,

"All things flow, nothing abides. You cannot step into the same river twice, for the waters are continually flowing on. Nothing is permanent except change."

It is true that every time I come to this place there is something different to see and something new to learn. I come without expectations but am never disappointed with my observations.

Masthead

A group of eight Common Goldeneye Ducks, four males and four females were swimming in the open water. These birds do not breed here but migrate from the north spending the winters in southern Ontario. They are diving ducks who go completely underwater and feed below the surface. In contrast, dabbling ducks, like Mallards, graze on underwater plants in shallow water and ponds and seldom dive. When diving ducks feed, they vanish and emerge a few metres away in a minute or less.

Head Throw Kick

This group of birds was not feeding but the males were behaving in an unusual way. They were alternately stretching their necks higher and or extending their necks abruptly so their heads were parallel to their tail feathers. These movements were done rapidly and were very comical to watch. I figured it had to be some kind of mating ritual dance.

All About Birds had the answer.

"In winter and early spring, male Common Goldeneyes perform a complex series of courtship displays that includes up to 14 moves with names like “masthead,” “bowsprit,” and “head throw kick,” in which the male bends his head back to touch his rump, then thrusts forward and kicks up water with his feet."

I definitely observed the Masthead and the Head Throw Kick through my binoculars. I wasn't near enough to be sure of any other moves as these birds are very skittish and fly off if you move toward them. From what I saw, none of the dull-plumaged females had dance moves and they were paying minimal attention to the flamboyant males.

I found this 50-second video on YouTube which shows the moves in live action. It made me laugh. In the video, one female makes one move and at the end, they dive as diving ducks do.

Other birds, newly arrived from the south included Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles and American Robins. They made the air sound like spring. These very ordinary birds are harbingers of a new season and for that reason are most welcome!

International Women's Day 2023

Today is International Women's Day and an opportunity to acknowledge the incredible women in my family who modelled living with intelligence, capability, resilience, adaptability, creativity, diligence, spiritual strength, a sense of joyful adventure, and most of all, women who loved me dearly. I never felt limited in what I could do as a woman and I am thankful for the confidence and support that was given to me by these blood relatives who invested in my life. I could not begin to number the friends and members of my extended family who have also inspired me over the years.

Women's rights in Canada have expanded greatly since the birthdays of the oldest family members in the picture above. Women have gained the right of personhood, and the right to vote and own property. They have demonstrated excellence in academics, in varied career choices and in leadership roles. Women continue to be pillars in the home and in child-rearing. I do not perceive women as superior to men and there is strength in male and female relationships where there is mutual respect and teamwork. The rise of conservatism around the world has jeopardized gains made in recent years for the rights of women. I think of places like Afghanistan where women can no longer attend schools or religious institutions in the first world where women continue to be excluded in positions of leadership. We still need to battle against misogyny.

I cannot take the privilege of this birth family for granted knowing that many women will never have the benefits I have enjoyed throughout my life. Privilege brings increased responsibility to help others who are less fortunate. I want the world to be an even better place of opportunity and safety for my daughters, granddaughter, my nieces and grand-nieces and hope they will recognize the thread of womanly strength that has come through their ancestral past.

Near Twins: Truth and Falsehood

 ...though truth and falsehood be

Near twins, yet truth a little elder is,

Be busy to seek her...

On a huge hill,

Cragged and steep, Truth

stands, and he that will

Reach her, about must and

about must go...

Satire III   John Donne (1572-1631)

I am enjoying Malcolm Guite's poetry anthology for Lent very much this year. The poems and discussion complement the Lenten scripture readings which recently have focused on Jesus' encounters with the tempter in the wilderness as described in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. 

John Donne wrote his satire on religion while contemplating questions of faith. We might say today that he was going through a period of "deconstruction". The lines above resonated with me as I recognized with Donne that truth and falsehood are often difficult to discern. Satan, the same deceiver who questioned Eve in Genesis, tempted Jesus to misuse his authority and abandon his purpose for coming to earth. Jesus responded to each temptation with scriptural truth saying, "It is written..."

Rainbows are a beautiful and compelling sight and I look for them whenever there is rain or mist and sun. But a rainbow is just an optical illusion created when light is refracted by tiny droplets of water. A prism acts the same way, bending and separating light to create bands of colour. I took the picture above at Niagara Falls when the sun was behind me shining through the mist of the Canadian falls. The sun, on the other hand, has form and substance. Likewise, truth is can be compared to the sun and falsehood is a distortion and illusion like a rainbow. Donne describes truth and falsehood as near twins, yet the truth is a little older and precedes falsehood. "Be busy to seek her..."

Truth is "like the sun, dazzling, yet plain to all eyes." 

Finding the truth can be challenging. "On a huge hill, Cragged and steep, Truth stands..."

Most of us, from an early age, find it easy to deceive others. One night this week I asked my 5-year-old granddaughter what she had for dinner and she replied, "Oatmeal!" I believed her for a moment and then asked if she was tricking me. "It was a joke", she replied. "I really had pizza." 

One of my daughters is refreshingly truthful. I was looking at a recent photo of a childhood friend I have not seen for over 50 years and was remarking on how she had aged. I realize that my perception of my appearance is youthfully bent so I asked my daughter, "Do I look as old as she does?" She answered, "You look a little younger or about the same age", covering her bases well and refusing to appeal to my vanity.

We face deception every day as we decipher biased news reporting, marketing hyperbole, clickbait headlines, social media misinformation, and charismatic voices. I try to verify everything before repeating it, yet have been deceived as well. Falsehoods, like a rainbow, can appear very compelling and attractive and often appeal to the masses.

John Donne was on a search for spiritual truth, a search that required perseverance and the devotion of a pilgrim. Further on in the poem he writes,

"Hard deeds, the body's pains; hard knowledge too

The mind's endeavours reach, and mysteries

Are like the sun, dazzling, yet plain to all eyes.

Keep the truth which thou hast found..."

Truth is found by seeking the light, not a reflection or refraction of the light. The light is always nearby. 

Meteorological Spring

We had a big winter storm yesterday into today with high east winds, ice fog, thundersnow and at least 25 cm of heavy, wet snow at our home. It looked beautiful as the sun rose after the storm moved eastward.

My husband clears the snow that falls on our large corner lot, as well as our elderly neighbour's double driveway and sidewalk. It was too much for one person today.

Our snowbanks are often higher but we had below-average snowfall in our area of the province earlier this winter. The 50 cm of snow that has fallen in the past two weeks is significant though.

The city plough blocked all the driveways on the street and the crescent adjacent to our house. Storms bring out the best in Canadians. Neighbours gathered with snowblowers and shovels to help each other and there was time on a Saturday to pose for pictures. March 1st marked meteorological spring, and temperatures will moderate as we tilt closer to the sun. I heard my first Red-winged Blackbird of the season, right on schedule as spring migration starts. Robins will undoubtedly be here by the end of the coming week. Winter and spring will struggle for control for a few more weeks, but as we head toward Equinox, the light will win over darkness.