Photo of the Day: A Raft of Ducks on the River

As I contemplated a potential headline for this photo I took yesterday of the Hackensack River, a few miles from my home in Bergen County, NJ, I thought of the waterfowl at its center. What was the name for a group of ducks?

At first, I thought of referring to a “school of ducks,” with all sorts of wordplay related to that. But it turned out that “school” was out—it wasn’t the proper word.

Then I thought of making the headline about a “duck dynasty.” But that’s a pretty long line of heirs I see. And if you can spot even a scintilla of facial hairs on these guys, your eyesight is far better than mine.

Then I took the easy way out and did a Google search for a group of ducks. “Raft” described these creatures on the water—and, together with “river,” there was a bit of alliteration involved. 

Thanks, Google--you kept me from committing fowl play.

Photo of the Day: Making Themselves at Home

With two sizable dumps of snow over the last two weeks—and only minimal melting, and pedestrians disinclined to cut across icy green expanses—these creatures found a welcome environment in Veterans Park, a short walk from where I live in Englewood, NJ. When I saw they weren’t objecting, I took the attached photo

Joke of the Day (Mitch Hedberg, on What a Duck Thinks of Him)

“I find a duck's opinion of me is very much influenced by whether or not I have bread.” —Stand-up comic Mitch Hedberg (1968-2005), Just For Laughs: On The Edge (2002)

Photo of the Day: Duck Squadron

(Photo taken recently at Saddle River County Park, Ridgewood, N.J.)