Temperatures dropped again so the turtles went back into hibernation, and the herons and carp left for warmer places for the cold months (carp don't go to different ponds; they dive deep then drop movement/metabolism). That's probably why I was so glad to see Peter the Kawasemi Friday--most of my park friends were gone for the winter.
When I went to the other side of the park the other day, I saw the greenhead mallards in the corner of the pond. Until last year, there had been a male-female pair, Junior and Maggie, who had become very good friends. But they didn't come this year.
I doubted any of these birds would ever trust me the way Junior and Maggie did. But maybe we could have some kind of friendship, I thought, and worked hard on the initial sketch, telling them I'd probably show them a finished drawing next week.
