A few inches of rain over the last 24 hours, and the creek is up with a vengeance. At creekmouth water oerlaps the bank top.

A half mile upstream the channel is deeper, the creek adequately confined, and the brown rapids churn by at an impressive clip: a good five knots.

A tongue of sharp rapids, like peaks on egg white, curves along the far bank. Mallards are there, and they gather on the near bank in the rain. They are paired off already, demure brown girls and showy green-hooded fellows. Now and then a couple or three pairs join them from the bay amid joyous quacking.

One pair kicks off from the bank, paddles upstream laboriously. They turn into the broad brown tongue atop the rapids and ride down, great hollers of ducky glee echoing off the hills. They rejoin their fellows, and another pair takes its turn.

1. 
   OGeorge 2004 12 28 at 5:44:45 pm

   Mallards DO pair off, but the drakes will mount ANYTHING available.  They are responsible for most of the crosses with other Anas species.