Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Who keeps turning on the barn light?

Outside of the side door to the barn is a motion detector light. It is always on. If you look out in the evening, it is on. Before going to bed, it is on. Middle of the night, it is on. We could not figure out what, or who, would be out there roaming around all night long. It has been creepy actually, like is there a person out there, a coyote, rats, something blowing around. Our minds have been churning with ideas of what could be causing this. It just had us baffled. Finally, Dad figured it out. It is the ducks! The hay is about 10 feet outside the door and we keep it covered with a tarp. As we have been taking bales out it has made a little cave in between the bales and the tarp makes a nice wind breaker. The ducks have taken up residence in this little cave. Who can blame them it has been below zero every night for over a month and while they have a house, I am sure it is not as cozy as the hay stack. As they are in there, when the light goes out, one of them runs out to the barn door therefore turning the light back on and then scurries back to the hay. Since we have figured this out and have been watching, it seems to always be the same male duck who has the job of turning on the light. Is he scared of the dark? Is it to protect his flock from predators? Did he pull the short straw and that is why it is always him? Do the rest of them sleep while he keeps watch? When does he get to sleep? Do they make wing shadows on the hay? Oh the questions we would ask if they could only talk.

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