I sometimes have difficulty coming up with catchy, descriptive headlines for our articles. However, this is article is not a difficult headline case. On April 25, 2023, I happened upon a wet duck trying to dry itself by standing in the Sun on Pier 5 of Brooklyn Bridge Park. The duck was unconcerned with my presence as it was unconcerned by the close passage of a Brooklyn Bridge Park golf cart. I took the opportunity to take several photos of the duck and chose four for publication here in The New Leaf Journal. The headline for this simple photo story came to me naturally.
Most of the ducks in Brooklyn Bridge Park stick to the water. They are less frequent on land than the Park geese (see my first, second, and third Park geese articles), pigeons, sparrows, and doves). When I saw this rather large brown duck drying on Pier 5, I knew that I had a New Leaf Journal article in waiting. I was struck by its dark blue/purple feather on the tip of one of its wings and how unconcerned it was about everything around it. I noted at the top that a small vehicle drove by close to the duck. The duck did not flinch. It paid me no mind as I photographed it (note that I zoomed in for the last three photos, the first photo best depicts my actual distance from the duck).
I sincerely thank the duck for being an unusually good avian photo subject.