Expectations

     Five or six years ago, our next door neighbors put in a dock.  I was not happy about it at the time because it shattered my illusion of living in the wilderness.  

     It didn't take long for waterfowl to move in.  Mallards come and go, enjoying both the shelter underneath and the dry surface above.  This year we have had three bachelor Mallards since spring.

One or two Great Blue Herons are there almost every morning.

The river is shallow enough on our side for water plants to grow, so I suspect many of these birds have always been there foraging and fishing behind the foliage, just out of view.  The dock has made it easier for us to see them from our hillside perch.

I now look forward to it's arrival each spring.