An Unusual Sight off the New England Coast

On walking by The Barnacle, a pub in Old Town, a friend who works there knew I was interested in birds so she had me come in and give a kind of mini lecture on this particular bird that was infesting the harbor just outside the pub. I've seen ants in such numbers when an ant hill is disturbed, or looking at a honeycomb full of bees; or even starlings roosting in trees and then at a loud noise exploding into the sky like a puff of pepper. But ducks in such numbers? The sight was impressive yes. But also the sound: they were singing. Singing a plaintive forlorn song. Of course it needn't be forlorn in their speech. In their musicology it could have been a joyous jig they were singing and this was a Fezzwig kind of barn dance---and certainly being a duck one of the places you might choose to have your dance is out on the balmy waters along the New England coast before heading north to the more bracing baroque waters of Newfoundland.