There they were, floating around in the middle of Post Dispatch Lake, eagerly approaching any human who chanced by, on land or on the water. Two ducks of a species unknown to me and a big white goose that looks like the one my grandmother had when I was a young warthog (which, by the way, chased me around her back yard and nipped me). Could they be escapees from domestic servitude, as in Animal Farm? Or was it a more Disneyesque adventure featuring three refugees from the spring floods that find themselves stranded in America’s premier urban park without bus fare for the return home? Or maybe it’s the start of a musical number, “Meet me in Saint Louis, Duckie, and I’ll Treat You Really Fair? I have to admit, I was stumped as to their friendliness, but not surprised at their lack of success in getting handouts.
“Tell you what, fellas,” I counseled, “Make a cardboard sign and stand at one of the nearby intersections. It is much more effective for raising donations.”
I continue my walk around Post Dispatch Lake, moving slowly so as to not overly alarm the Canada geese grazing along its edges. The willow tree that I have featured in so many previous years’ photographs is dying, and its upper branches are bare. I look across the water towards Wildlife Island to see if I can spot any deer. Tyler and DeVonte, two young men I met on Rock Beach (engaged in seeing who could throw one of the rocks there all the way to the island - Devante won) had told me they spotted two deer there. I wasn’t surprised by the news, as I have seen deer in the vicinity before, but today they have declined to reveal themselves to me.
So I continue walking into the twilight, engaging the people I meet, trying to catch some decent photos of the night herons and egrets as they fly overhead, and in general, enjoying time well spent in a wonderful place.
See the blog and all the photos here: https://www.stlpa.com/st-louis-photo-authority-blog-1
Apparently expecting handouts, I am approached by members of the waterfowl patrol. Click on image to see more photos from today’s exciting adventure in America’s premier urban park.