I was seemingly witness to and part of an "Occupy" movement last night.
But, it was nowhere near Zuccotti Park.
Once again, the ducks behaved very strangely last night at Harlem Meer.
Very active and seemingly "charged up," constant chattering and an unusual degree of feistiness. I almost expected a group of the mallards to sit in a corner and play drums.
But, most noticeable was the once again, bolting back into the water -- as if shot out of cannons -- at absolutely nothing.
In less than the blink of an eye, all 30 or so ducks, (including, Brad) would be on the grass one second and in the water the next, the action so splittingly fast, that it was the beyond the human eye to actually detect.
Aside from the ducks, my dogs and me, there wasn't another living soul around. I wondered what in the hell was freaking out the birds? I looked up in the sky. But, the moon wasn't quite full and nor were there many planes flying overhead. Things were exceptionally quiet at the Meer last night.
The first two times this happened, the ducks would calm down after a minute or two and return to the grassy embankment.
But, the third time, something unusual occurred.
Instead of waiting and returning to the grass, the ducks formed an assembly in the water.
They gathered in a large, circular group and an active, lively discussion followed..
At first, many mallard voices were participating. But, after a while, it seemed that one voice -- a little distinctive from the rest --was dominating the conversation.
One could almost imagine the speech -- and ensuing dialogue and debate:
"Look, guys, we need to pull our act together! We can't keep bolting and reacting to nothing. We got a long winter ahead. We need to figure out our strategies, prepare and conserve our energies for when they are really needed to survive! The greatest thing we have to fear is fear itself!"
But, then other voices coming from the crowd on the lake:
"Yes, but there is nothing normal about this season! We don't have our geese police here! We have to look out for and protect ourselves! We have to be our own eyes and ears!"
"That doesn't mean we over-react to everything! That doesn't mean paranoia! Jeeze, are we going to start bolting at butterflies?"
"We cannot be complacent! Look at what they have done to the geese! We are NEXT unless we learn from what has already happened!"
"The geese are a whole other story. Two of them made the mistake of colliding with a plane two years ago. The humans are out to get them. But, we are not geese! We are safe for the moment."
"Yea, for the moment indeed! What about that boat on the lake two weeks ago? The one with the bright strobe lights peering into the water? There were no geese here then! They must have been gearing up for US!"
"True, but look, we cannot make ourselves crazy! Yes, we have to be vigilant and more careful than normal. True, we don't have the geese anymore to be our eyes and ears. But, we still have to keep our wits about us and conserve energy. We cannot be so easily intimidated that we fly off on the drop of a hat. Remember, the biggest thing we have to fear is fear itself. At this rate, we will burn ourselves out by the time of the first major winter storm."
"Well, you may be right about that...," finally came a consensus from the group. "But, we still have to be extra vigilant and prepared to take action when needed."
With that, the debate and dialogue began to settle down and the mallards appeared a bit more relaxed, but pensive on the water.
But, they did not return to the grass.
Apparently, they had a lot to think about.
The assembly meeting apparently over, the ducks either sat relaxed on the water softly chattering with each other or slowly drifted away.
I gathered my two dogs and likewise prepared to leave.
Finally noticing me again, Brad and the group of "regulars" gathered as usual to follow as Tina, Chance and I left Harlem Meer.
Despite the important assembly strategy meeting, the normal departure ritual between the ducks and me continued.
I waved to them on the lake's edge and tried to reassure (as apparently one of their leaders) that yes, the greatest thing they had to fear was fear itself. At the same time, it was important that the ducks be aware of what was happening al over and take those extra steps for vigilance that are unfortunately required. -- Especially without their "geese police."
Walking home, I could not help but wonder and marvel at the similarities in behavior of humans to other animals in nature -- in this case, ducks.
We have a human "occupy" movement occurring downtown in Manhattan and a similar one occurring on the north end of Central Park.
Although the human Occupy Wall Street movement is focused for the moment on critical human issues and problems, I am hopeful that when apparently necessary next summer, there will be a few humans willing -- along with the ducks and whatever geese -- to "occupy" city parks when the terrorizing, USDA death squads show up.
"All for one and one for all."
The motto for the geese and ducks.
Hopefully, the motto too, for all of us. -- PCA
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