And now for a cuteness break

At the Safeway/K-Mart/Carmike shopping center off of Circle Blvd, there is a tiny little ecosystem smack dab in the middle of the parking lot. Right next to the Jack in the Box, there is a chain link fence surrounding what looks like a drainage ditch.

In actuality, it's a small man-made pond surrounded by tall grass and weeds... and there are ducks! Right now, there are two duck couples living there (occasionally visited by some friends that we actually see taking off and flying away to wherever they sleep) and both duck pairs have recently hatched several little ducklings. There are several tiny little waddling puffballs, dutifully following mom or dad around the lake, eating bugs in the grass, occasionally venturing under the fence onto the sidewalk.

This is the second year we've gone to visit these ducks, and the largest group of ducklings yet. A couple of days ago, we witnessed the little ones hurling themselves awkwardly into the water, sometimes falling in, then zipping around the lake like it was a game. It is a real joy to take five minutes and just watch them.

However, please do not feed the ducks! This is important, recently emphasized in the City of Corvallis newsletter. I hope you take it seriously. I've seen a few people throwing french fries over the fence, which ducks will happily gobble, but contain none of the nutrients they actually need to thrive. There is actually plenty of food in that little drainage ditch. The babies are not going to starve. Feeding them human food seems like harmless fun, but it really does them more harm than good.

But you should go see the ducklings while they are still there, just because. If I can remember to bring my camera, I'll post a picture.