The Muscovy Ducks

            I went to the bird factory at the L.A. river. There were Blackneck Stilts, Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, Muscovy Ducks, Mallards, Coots, and lest we forget, Cormorants. There were a host of birds hanging out a stone’s throw away from the freeway. The birds didn’t seem to mind the bikers and walkers that were gawking at them. The bikers weren’t gawking, they were moving too fast to see anything. There’s a whole convention of birds down there, our feathered friends. They didn’t care about the cold water, or trash, or cement. They looked happy, all except the Cormorants, and even they were shaking out their feathers from time to time in exaltation.