167. A Drop in the Pond

sneaking around ducks in queen elizabeth park.

Dear reader,

I have long been suspicious of ducks.

In today’s SneakyArt Drop, I visit a pond in the park to see if the ducks will let me draw them. They chased me off last time. I suspect it was because I have been previously outspoken about the Canadian Geese Mafia.

Support my fearless reportage in the face of waterfowl aggression.

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I have long been suspicious of ducks.

In a life of chaos and quacking noises, ducks move as if possessed by an inner poetry. As dusk fell upon winter’s pond in Queen Elizabeth Park, I watched them cut a path over algae-coloured waters like an artist flourishing their brush upon a canvas. Such grace under dappled sunshine. Such poise in plummeting temperatures. No, I do not trust them.

The session passed without incident, but I remained on my guard. Perhaps because. Even when the shadows grew long and the wind picked up, when I could no longer ignore the cold, when the reflections upon the water lay unmoving as if in my service, I kept notice of the nearest duck. They could not flank me.

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I recently interviewed John Muir Laws for an upcoming podcast episode. We spoke about nature stewardship and journaling. Nature stewardship empowers individuals and communities to care for their environment. The creation of artificial seasonal ponds is a form of stewardship undertaken at a city or municipal level.

Information board at the pond, QE Park.

In Ep 53 with Amy Stewart, we discussed another instance of stewardship. She spoke about making space in her garden for the incredible migratory journey of the Western Monarch butterfly.

To migrating species, this pond must be like a motel by the highway. Cheap and a little rundown but nonetheless a familiar stop on a long journey.

What does that make me? And what does that make the TikTok-er holding out a piece of bread at the edge of the pond? Perhaps we humans are annoying voyeurs, peeping through the worn curtains of this seedy establishment.

No wonder they hiss. I would too.

#108 - Same spot, early spring.

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