Today we braved an ominous sky and went for a long canal-centered walk. I really enjoy the maze of canals here in the Greenhaven/Pocket neighborhood of Sacramento. The local ducks from “Duck City” have been populating like mad, and tiny to medium sized ducklings are practicing their swimming skills in the oil-slicked water.

If ducklings and the mating habits of ducks bore you, the turtles with outstretched heads, sunning along the concrete canal embankments, might catch your eye. They range from the tiny to moderate-sized, and somehow I suspect they are the offspring of someone’s former pet. This is the first year we’ve seen them.

During the walk, my attention was caught by the splashing of about five grey carp–very large–fighting over something. Perhaps it was a stale cracker? I hope so. Last week, we saw 15 ducklings in a family unit. This week we saw only thirteen.