Isolation Series: The Fowl and the Fisher: A Precautionary Tale

"The Fowl and the Fisher"

Summer has slammed into us with heat. The birds and wildlife seek shade - as do most people. On the creek, the ducks seem to be the most frequent inhabitants, although I know other animals are alive and well hidden. One day, a mother mallard and twelve ducklings were forced from their place of safe shelter by the attack of a fisher. My husband, some neighbours, and I, happened to witness the event. In a flash of movement, a brown creature lunged from the shore toward the nest. Mother mallard set up a high-pitched crying, flapping wildly across the waters to draw the fisher away from her young. The fisher was one minute racing on land, the next minute, in the water, swimming with speed, intent on capture. We stood on the shore feeling helpless, clapping and calling, hoping to distract the predator and enable the ducks to get away. Just as soon as it happened, it was over. The fisher disappeared. There was no sign of mallards either. It felt awful to witness the attack, to be left wondering the worst. About thirty minutes later, mother mallard and twelve ducklings sailed by, well away from the shoreline and in the opposite direction of their nest: safe - for this time.

Covid restrictions are lifting in Ontario. This is a good yet uncertain reality. Is the danger of infection disappearing, or is it just in hiding? Living with precautions is still the way forward; the new normal for uncertain times.