I've noticed a lot more roadkill lately--raccoons, opossums, skunks lying smashed in the middle of the road--sometimes a pair or three. The other day I saw a big snapping turtle ready to lumber out onto a busy two lane and worried about her lack of sense for the rest of my drive to work. It's instinct, of course, and our roads often traverse nature's paths. This time of year the waterbirds have hatched. I watched a pair of Canadian geese lead their goslings across a quiet road to the lakeshore. They have the right of way, of course, though this can be troublesome for us humans in our motorized vehicles, particularly on a very busy and fast moving thoroughfare. The other day John was returning to work from a lunch break and saw a mallard step into the road up ahead with seven very tiny ducklings hopping down from the curb after her, oblivious to the dangers of the five lanes of fast moving traffic which they were about to cross. He had room to slow down, put on his flashers, come to a stop, and hoped other drivers would do the same. They did. Four lanes of traffic came to a stop and waited patiently (a rare thing these days) allowing the ducks to cross safely to the other side. John prepared to move forward, but before he could even turn off the flashers and take his foot from the brake he was struck from behind by someone who was not paying attention to ducks or anything else on the road, slamming into his car at 45 or 50 mph, full force. John and the errant lad were relatively ok, but our car is not.
But a car is only a thing, right?
The ducks and ducklings waddled on to Kid's Creek. Hopefully they found a good spot and will not venture back across M-37. Hopefully drivers will pay attention to ducklings, raccoons, and even snapping turtles trying to cross to some better spot.