Songbirds.

There's something to be said about the amount of ducks residing on the UMass campus. Whether these birds are giving swimming lessons to their chicks in the campus pond, basking in the bright sunlight on the lawn, or causing a scene in front of Bartlett Hall, their presence is simply unmistakable. As adorable as the ducks may be - waddling around from place to place as though they, too, are students at the university - what I like most about them is probably the sound they make. The gentle swishing that resounds when they, all at once, decide it's time to take flight. The subtle paddling in the murky UMass pond water. But mostly, for some inexplicable reason, the overwhelming amount of quacking that can be heard throughout the day has become a sort of pick-me-up song during each of my journeys to class. It's a nice little soundtrack. The ducks' conversations with each other sound important, as though they really have a point to get across. As the quacks get louder, the drama between them builds. When a large group of ducks is getting excited all at once, it sounds as though they are laughing at some joke that only they are privelleged enough to understand. We are on the outside.


*photo c/o Demi Kavaltzis