Herding Ducks

I had the most interesting morning yesterday. I started out early to one of my favorite walking spots. Crane's Roost. The sun was just coming up and not as many folks walking around the lake at that time of day. As I turned onto one of the bridges crossing Crane's Roost, I looked down off the side and noticed about a hundred of ducks with their chicks on the shore. And about a second later an otter ran out of the darkness from the water and sped into the crowd of ducks for , what I felt , was looking to have his breakfast. I must say, at that moment I was not a " Oh this is natures way, " frame of mind. I screamed at the otter to STOP. Knowing if I had a rock I would have thrown it at the shiny coated weasel. He was rather chubby, might I add. The whole duck population began to fly, swim or wobble as fast as the could. With the chicks peeping frantically behind their mothers. Well, the otter was not successful in starting his morning meal at the first attempt. But he did run back into the water to what felt to me preparing his next go at it. I started to yell to the ducks. " RUN". I must have looked pretty crazy to those few morning joggers who were not a part of the viewing audience as myself. But that thought did not occur to me until later on in the day when sharing the story with a friend. The second Otter attempt at his morning meal was executed in less then a minute from the first. There I was screaming again to my new best friends, RUN. As I turned towards the entrance to the bridge, what looked like 100 ducks and chicks heading my way, sqwacking , flapping and pooping as they approached. My cry to ' RUN' shifted to ' COME ON". I took it upon myself to help herd my feathered friends to safety. But I then I realized I was not sure what that would look like. As we marched toward the other side of the bridge, joggers coming the opposite direction effecting the ' herds' direction back to the ' EVIL OTTER DOMAIN.". I tried to explain to the running opposition as to why they should stop and let the ducks pass. All I heard them say was ' AWW they are so darling" and kept on their merry, nothing bad is going on here , way. So , as I changed direction to try and convince the ducks that they needed to return to the original direction to safety. more joggers coming the other way were going to help me do just that. So once again I gently spoke to the ducks as to keep going and that all will be OK. But, I am sure you might guess by now, more joggers were on their way to keep my newly self-appointed task looking like a Loral and Hardy comedy act. Well is was about the third turn around, on the Crane's Roost bridge , and the first time I felt that I was just throw in the towel and start to head home, I decided that there was no way I was leaving those guys to fend for themselves. Finally I saw a white haired gentleman jogger coming my way. I quickly explained to him in 10 words or less. which is probably my all time record of get to the point, what was happening. He slowed down and said to the ducks, " OK, hup one two three, hup one two three. " He was so deliberate and with a clear intention that these ducks were going to end on the safe side of the lake. So together we marched , stamping our feet as he shouted the orders to the ducks all the way to end of the bridge and around the rail on to the lawn, were they still waddled as fast as they could to be any where else . Away from the Otter and the two stamping their feet two legged herders were. The white haired man shouted he would be right back and ran to his car to return with a bag of bread to feed the herd of ducks telling me that they must be starving by now. I learned so much in the short time of the 'herding ducks" episode. About keep going to do the right thing. Even if it looks really weird . And there is always at least one other who wants to help. It was a great morning at Cranes' Roost.