DearDuck Xiānshēng,
I hope this letter finds you well. I understand you recently took a little vacation from the hubbub you've beencausingin Central Park. Did you get some rest? Was it a nice reprieve?Did you go leaf peeping and antiquingin the Hudson Valley? I hope so. Thatpart of the country is absolutely lovelythis time of year.
But I digress.
First off, I want to thank you.We don't know where you came from (someone's private collection maybe?)or why you suddenly appeared (you were crushinglylonelywith no duck friends?), but you have captured the fascination of birders and non-birders alike,inNew York Cityand around the world. That's no small thing. You've been by theNew York Times,deemed the city's , and even got dubbed a across the pond. You have a ԴǷ.
There's no denying it: You are one .
But you also aren't that special, so don't go getting a big crest, okay? Yeah, you are exotic and unbelievablygorgeous with your dazzling plumage and majestic wing sails,but you'renot quite the mysterious rarity that the Times and others firstmade you out to be. Vagrant Mandarin Ducksroutinely pop uparound the country. There's anestablished population in California. You aren't even a first for this city! So, sure,you're exciting and novel,but c'mon, it's us,we can be real here.Not to mention, your non-native garbisalso showing up ourmost beautiful native duck. Don't think doesn't mind. He does.
Now that we got that out of the way, I also wanted to offer some advice:. I know it's tempting and that the people providing those tasty morselsare just trying to getbetter looks, but they're empty calories. Stick to dabbling. I'll get off my soapbox ԴǷ.
Considering how popular you are, you probably have no idea that your appearance sparked some mixed reactionsin the birdingworld, especially onTwitter (it's a communication platformwhere you can share these short messagescalled tweets with yourfollowers and . . . nevermind). Reaction 1: A stunningduck that most people have never seen before and never will again—Reaction 2: An exotic species that's clearly an escapee, doesn't count for your life list,and represents potential competition for endemics—.
Both sides have theirpoints, andthis is whyfor many New York City birders a rare stray bird native to North America appearinghere is a much bigger deal:the kaleidoscopicPainted Bunting that stopped by Prospect Park a few years back, the off-courseKirtland's Warbler that shocked usthis spring, or even the surprise that was in Central Park at the same time as you last week. Doubt anyone has ever called that birdhot.
Don't let all this ruffle your iridescent feathers, though. You're just abird someone bred or bought trying to live your best duck life. And so I'm glad you decided to drop by NYC for a spelland cause such a stir. You've not only gotten people outside and given pause to the New Yorkers who have never truly consideredthe waterfowl in Central Park before, but you've also been a welcome distraction duringa trying time in this country, a dash of joy to a jaded lot. Birds are always good for that.
So thanks again, and best of luck wherever you head next—which will hopefully be soon, because I'm really tired of having people send me messages as ifI don't know about you yet.
Warmest regards,
Andrew Del-Colle
Site Director and Editor, APP.org
P.S. I'm sorry I haven't visited.I was lucky enough to seeone of your cousinsin Berlinonce, and I'm not ready to to see you, no matter how striking you are. Maybe when things settle down.