We stood

As we stood at the pond’s edge, bird song swirled in and out of focus. Was that a Cedar Waxwing? My husband’s phone knew. He has the Merlin app and a roll call began to blink on and off.  Chickadee, Robin, Redwinged Blackbird, Cedar Waxwing, Swainson’s Thrush. It was like an orchestra warming up. 

A Mallard mother skimmed along the surface of the pond as though pulled by a string. She looked straight ahead. Nary a feather ruffled.   She was followed by nine little ducklings. They swam in every direction at once and yet somehow ended up at the same destination as their mother. She seemed to do a head count before leading them into a narrow channel and out of sight. 

We followed a swallowtail back to the parking lot.