You can get a specially pepared food for aquatic birds; it floats. So let’s go feed them.
When they see us approaching the lake the ducks start sailing towards us. Whether it’s spotting the plastic bag or recognising our faces, I’m not sure.
The crows in another park certainly know us, cawing and gathering as we walk up with our leftover bread and pasta. They used to be very hesitant about tucking in, waiting till we were well clear, but not so much now.
On the water we’ve hardly begun and already one or two ducks are quacking aggressively and pecking at others’ feathers, sometimes even before starting to eat.
Then come the coots. They used to be bullied by the ducks but since they had chicks the tables have turned and their sharp beaks drive a path clear to the goodies.
Little gulls notice the activity and storm in like gangsters, landing as a group right in the middle of the food with resonant ploomps and screaming.
When the swans turn up everybody backs off and lets them hoover it all up.
Lately a pigeon and a couple of crows have started to hang aound on the off chance of snagging a stray pellet or two.
So our kind intentions always turn a peaceful scene into mayhem and a guilty feeling of having provoked disorder with our philanthropy philornithy. Somehow it sets me thinking about the Welfare State.
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