On my walks in the Golden Gate Park during the last few weeks I've noticed a Muscovy duck, often sitting at the southeast side of Stow Lake Drive, a place I had never noticed it before. These animals are usually found here quite close to the lake, only seeming to venture further away to feed on grass across the drive. When they do, they move very slowly, and their leisurely treks across the road always frightens me as cars often drive too fast there.
Perhaps seven or eight days ago, I again saw this duck at the same location, and realized that every time I've seen it (or one that looks just like it) it has been either on, or directly in front of a rock. I had not given this much credence initially, thinking that the animal must simply prefer this spot for some reason or another, or that it wasn't a very intelligent animal and was stupidly wandering near car traffic because they were a bit dim-witted (I have since read that they are in fact rather intelligent).
I then realized that it must be sitting on an egg.
This thought came as a surprise to me at first, as I've never seen these ducks with offspring, but then struck me as a bit obvious; I was surprised that this hadn't occurred to me earlier.
I was moved as I pondered it sitting there. They generally seem to me so relaxed and deep in their thoughts, and even though I had not previously thought of them as being very intelligent, these two beliefs had never occurred to me as contradictory (I have similar thoughts about the bison in the paddock located further west in the park).
During the last week or so, I have spent some time exploring the area more in depth, and have on two occasions noticed that there were broken eggs located nearby, one on each occasion. I wondered what had happened, and why the eggs had ended up that way.
It made me sad, but I also felt proud, seeing something valiant in this effort to produce something in what seemed like an area filled with danger.
Two days ago, while sharing my discovery of the small drama unfolding here with another dedicated walker from the park, I noticed that the duck I had been seeing was actually there to guard a smaller one, a female, who appears to be laying these eggs in an opening in the shrubbery, to the left of the duck in the picture below. I only became aware of this one when she poked her head out for a moment. The fact that they were a couple made the scenario even more beautiful to me, as the duck that I had seen for weeks had obviously taken the job of protecting her and her eggs.
There are many newborns in the park right now; Canadian goslings and Great blue heron babies in particular, and many people in the park take pictures and spend their time gazing and talking about them. Among the obviousness of these animals, the trials of this Muscovy duck couple seems to go nearly unnoticed.
There is something precious to me about my little find; it is like a special secret that only me and perhaps a few others are special enough to be privy to. Although they are a part of the entire continuum of the park and the greater world, I feel like this story-in-process is just for me to. I'm so glad that I looked closely enough to be able to have this experience.
