feeding the ducks at my feet
i keep going back to this one scene from home alone 2. kevin, after getting on the wrong flight and ending up in new york, finds himself wandering around central park and out pops the piers morgan-esque (if you know, you know) pigeon lady. i used to love watching home alone 2 as a kid, it was always one of those movies that emphasized the importance of others in our lives and how crucial it is to let ourselves form relationships with others. i think about the pigeon lady often, living above the opera, sitting on her little benches, feeding her cute pigeons. it reminds me of when i used to walk outside with my grandmother, we used to bring cooked corn and wheat cereal with us on walks, we'd drop them around us and birds would come flocking to us. in hindsight, big media tells us not to feed anything too processed to wild animals nowadays, but i think thats a load of crap. whats a little treat for these animals? if i can bring happiness to a single animal throughout its already short lifespans, does that make me a bad person?
i walk through the same park on my way bck from work, and i often see the same squirrels. theres this one chestnut brown one with a ring of blonde fur around its tail that ive really grown a liking to. hes special to me, i find myself looking for him when im passing by, ive caught him a few times. during one of these walks, accompanied a friend, we had spotted this exact squirrel. i was more happy than usual cause at least this time, i had packed some almonds for my lunch at work, but forgot to eat them. for this squirrel i must have been some prophet of sorts, just giving him a bunch of almonds. at one point, a regular black squirrel butted in to grab the almond i was holding out for the chestnut one and he ended up giving me a small bite on the finger. not enough to puncture any skin or hurt, just a little nibble. never been touched by a "wild" animal like that, it was really fun. i felt like the pigeon lady, but with squirrels, and 20, and not living above an opera, you get my point...
fast forward to this weekend, i had bought a bag of mixed, unsalted, and uncooked nuts to feed the squirrels in another park closer to my house. this is one of the biggest parks in toronto, so theres a fair bit of wildlife throughout the year. at least in my immediate area, ive seen deers, coyotes, skunks, racoons, ducks, swans, you name it, while one walks. it feels as though this area is one of the last bits of true metropolitan nature left in this city, i really have enjoyed living here, i dont think id live elsewhere in the city.
anyways, i had forgotten to put out any of the nuts yesterday since my neighbor ganged up on me as i was putting them out, and it felt a bit awkward to not offer them any to put out, so i left it in my tote bag. finally today, after finishing up a problem set at the cafe near my house, i finally got some undisturbed time to go walk through the park and scatter the 300g of nuts i had stashed in my tote. i left some out for the squirrels near a tree trunk i often see them gather around. itll be a little treasure for the first one who finds it. being left with the rest of the nuts, i spotted a pod of ducks swimming around the pond, thankfully, they are allowed to eat nuts, so the 15 or so duck that i spotted got to eat good for the brief moment i was there.
there were two ducks that kept waddling in circles around me after i had scattered all the nuts around the shore and into the water. its funny, because you only really see this behaviour in animals that live near metropolitan areas. they understand that humans might offer food, so they tend to be more open towards us. its important not to feed them too much or too often though, cause theyll get lazy. honestly speaking, i think a nut or two or three every week wont hurt. i plan to start carrying a little container of nuts on my weekend walks. its a light hearted habit that has been added to my list.
ducks, please stay happy until i see you again.