I think I have encountered it, ladies and gentlemen.  My spirit animal.  And what type of animal is it?  Is it a dingo, a blue whale, a rare bird or a raw prawn?  Well no.  It is a duck.  A very common native duck.

We have a well-known wetland over the other side of town that I had never visited  before.  Despite expressing an interest in doing so, my ecologist son assured me that most of the waterbirds there would also be on our side of town, so there would be no point in trekking over there (a mere 20 minutes by car).  Anyway, for various reasons, my True Love and I happened to find ourselves out that way one day, so we popped in to have a look.  Then, I saw it.  The Grey Teal (Anas gracilis).

The Grey Teal is a smallish grey-brown duck that is widespread across Australia.  It is also a great traveler and will fly vast distances in search of hospitable waters.  They have spread to New Zealand, New Guinea, Indonesia and sub-antarctic Macquarie Island.  No wonder I like them.  Such resourceful little ducks.

Grey Teals are hunted for sport in Australia’s duck-shooting season.  It may come as no surprise to you, ladies and gentlemen, that I am not a fan of game shooting; for survival (food), conservation management or compassionate reasons — fine, but not for sport.

Maybe you can see the magic in this little duck too?

© Reflections Of An Untidy Mind

beautiful grey tealgrey teal 2Grey teallook upunder wings

This is my response to the Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge — Magical.  Click on the link to join in the fun.

Quack you later.
Tracy.

46 thoughts on “Just A Kind Of Magic”

    1. Thanks John. So pleased you like my little duck.

      You would make a good Aussie. Ridgy-didge fits. It means the real deal, genuine article, etc, etc. Although I confess that I haven’t heard this expression used for quite some time. We tend to speak American these days, lol. 🙂

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  6. Magical shots of your spirit animal! It must have been a special feeling finding it! I think mine is a bird as well. A very small one. Or there are two maybe…My garden Robin who peeps through my window, and the tiny wren – fast and almost impossible to see as he is hurrying over the fallen trees. I guess they are a good combination of me. Curious, wide eyed and still not wanting to be seen.
    I could never manage such brilliant shots of them as you have on your beautiful Grey Teal.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. I think this is an awesome duck. I have a spirit animal, too, but I don’t especially want to see him/her. Once was enough (and it was great). I think you’re lucky to have a creature you can actually hang around with. ❤

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      1. No. I’m a very non-spiritual person. So much so that when the woman I mentioned offered up a long, somewhat rambling story about how the guides had brought her to our shores and supplied her with my phone number, I thought she was talking about Girl Guides and felt like I’d been sucked into a Kafka novel, as dramatised by Douglas Adams.

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  13. Honestly, I have never understood the “sport” in any sort of hunting. Like you, I understand when it is done because someone needs the food, or the population has grown to the point where animals are starving (sometimes happens in our area with deer, since all the natural predators are gone.) But I just don’t see what is so sporting about tracking and killing an animal or bird. In fact, it strikes me as an awful thing to do…..

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  15. Your humility is admirable. It’s let you see the beauty of a simple duck, and I hope it lets you see your own beauty. Love the photo of the duck arching backwards- impressive gymnastics.

    Though I love animals, I’ve never had a spirit animal; don’t know why. Maybe none have looked for me. Maybe I’m not paying enough attention.

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  18. You bet I can see the magic in this beautiful little duck! And it’s perfect for a spirit animal, such a wild spirit and their flight is so lovely! Really I take so many shots (only photographic ones, never the other kind!) because I love their looks but always think that people might think it’s not really worth sharing on the blog since it’s “just” a duck. You’ve shown me my way, Tracy – thank you!
    And the pic with the duck gracefully leaning back like a ballerina – how could anyone not see their magic and beauty, eh? 😀

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