My husband had an errand to run across town this morning and suggested he drop the dog and me off at Gallup Park for a walk, then collect us again on his way home. Terrific idea. Inspired. The weather was bright and sunny and not too cold—perfect for a stroll around Gallup Park.
Built along both sides of the Huron River, the park is probably Ann Arbor’s favorite. It has trails and islands and bridges and a pond and, of course, the river. Playgrounds, shelters, and a livery for rental of canoes, kayaks, paddleboats, and paddleboards, and a boat launch for those who bring their own. It’s even attached to another park.
The dog and I were delighted to be there. His little nose was busy the whole time, and so were my eyes. The usual suspects—geese, ducks, and gulls—were out on the water. There’s a thin film of ice in the slower parts of the river, but not enough to get in the birds’ way. Swans were out on the river, too. They stick around in the cold weather as long as open water allows them to feed.
One swan seemed to be showing off, swimming around with his wings raised. I understand swans sometimes use their wings as sails, in this position, but this one didn’t seem to be doing so. While I stood on a bridge watching him, he did a slow three-sixty in place. My personal feeling on his behavior is that he was trying to drum up a little romantic interest on the part of the lady swans. Poor fellow, he got no takers, but not for want of trying.
While admiring the clear blue sky, I saw a flock of fifty-to-sixty little ducks wheel in the sun and catch the light in an unfamiliar way. What kind of ducks are these, I wondered, as they landed on the river. Buffleheads. A whole flock of buffleheads. Not only had I never seen so many buffleheads together before, I also didn’t know they ever got together in such numbers. Apparently, they do.
And what a sight they were, dramatic in their black and white, with smaller and larger white patches on their black heads, depending on gender. They look like they’d be highly desirable plush toys in a zoo gift shop. The flock moved a couple times while we were at the park, flashing in the sun. It was a pleasure to watch them on the wing.
Shortly after seeing the diminutive ducks, we came upon some walkers watching a muskrat make its way toward the riverbank. A runner was enlightening them as to what it was, and she mentioned that she’d seen a baby beaver in the park pond a couple weeks ago, and how to tell the difference between muskrats and beavers. Muskrats were commonplace when we were kids, and not uncommon a decade ago. Now, some folks need a passerby to tell them what one is.
The pond came next and, although I approached with hope, no beaver appeared. Transparent ice covered the pond, in a layer so thin that it had wrinkles. And, because the ice calmed all the little ripples that usually appear on the surface of the water, you could see much farther than usual under the water. Rocks and leaves and waterlogged parts of trees were visible in sharp detail. Also, my polarized sunglasses made it possible to see jagged shapes in the surface of the ice itself.
Shortly after we passed the pond, I became aware that the dog was staring fixedly at something. Following Rascal’s line of sight revealed a furry beast perched on a log, in the undergrowth by the bank. A train went by, and the engineer blew the whistle, causing the critter to leap off the log and into the water, where it watched to see what would happen next. What happened next was that the critter became aware of the dog and me, smacked its tail loudly on the water, and swam away and out of sight underwater.
At the same time, at another spatial extreme, an osprey landed itself at the very top of the tallest tree around and pronounced itself, like Yertle, lord of all it surveyed. The bird’s perch was a great vantage point from which to spot fish, which are what an osprey eats.
The final memorable sight at Gallup Park was the larger-than-life, metal, Canada-goose sculpture that’s a fixture of the place. This visit, I remembered to watch for it and, thus, wasn’t startled by the extra-large bird. It was a good day at Gallup.
15 December 2023