This year’s spring weather here in Ontario has been unusually cold and wet. Overnight temperatures have been dipping down around 3°C, and daytime highs have barely reached 12°C some days. Definitely not ideal weather for opening the pool early.
Still, the one beautiful warm weekend we had recently seemed too good to waste, so we took the opportunity to uncover the pool, drain the winter cover, and begin the slow process of getting things cleaned up for the season.
This spring was a little different than usual.
It was the first year for our new pool cover, and unlike the old one, this one didn’t leak. Normally, some of the winter precipitation gradually seeps through into the pool over the colder months. This year, all that rain and snow stayed on top of the cover instead.
The result?
A LOT of water sitting on the cover by springtime — and a pool that ended up nearly three-quarters empty from the weight displacement pushing water out through the disconnected winter jet.
So while the robot quietly worked away cleaning the bottom and the hose slowly refilled the pool throughout the week, I was in absolutely no rush. With weather this cold, swimming certainly wasn’t happening anytime soon anyway.
Then came Mother’s Day morning.
As usual, Piper decided that 6 a.m. was a perfectly reasonable time for everyone to start the day. She’s very committed to routine, especially since Glen leaves for work around 7 during the week. Sleeping in, according to Piper, is highly overrated.
I shuffled into the kitchen to let her outside, opened the back door, and immediately thought:
What’s that?
Through the window in the door, I could see two ducks perched on the wide top rail of the pool.
Unfortunately, by that point, aborting the mission was no longer an option.
Piper already had her nose through the opening and was very committed to getting outside as quickly as possible.
The moment the door opened wider, out went the dog.
Instantly, the ducks took flight.
There was no dramatic quacking or commotion, just the sudden flap of wings, the rustle of water on the pool surface, and then they were gone into the early morning light.
The sun was only just beginning to rise, and for a moment the backyard felt strangely peaceful and still.
In the brief glimpse I caught, I could tell they were mallards — one male and one female — and they had clearly made themselves comfortable overnight on the pool rail. The top rail is probably six or eight inches wide, apparently more than enough space for an overnight stop during their travels.
Of course, my phone was sitting on the counter out of reach, so by the time I thought to grab it, they were gone.
Naturally, I announced to everyone that there had been ducks in the pool.
Naturally, nobody fully believed me.
But about an hour later, Glen looked out the back door while letting Piper out again and discovered the same pair happily swimming around the pool. This time, he managed to capture a photo.
I have to admit, it was a pretty sweet Mother’s Day surprise.
That said, I also knew it was probably time to finish opening the pool properly before our unexpected guests decided to settle in permanently. Once the water reached skimmer level, we started the pump, checked for leaks, and added the opening chemicals later that afternoon.
As cute as they were, I really wasn’t hoping for ducklings on the pool deck this spring.
Later, I found myself curious about duck nesting season and learned that many ducks in Ontario pair off and begin nesting in spring, typically between April and June. The hen lays roughly one egg per day until the clutch is complete, and about a month later, ducklings begin appearing in ponds, marshes, and waterways across the province.
Our Mother’s Day brunch conversation somehow turned into discussing what male and female ducks are actually called. Surprisingly, none of us were entirely sure. We ended up looking it up and learned that the male is called a drake and the female a hen — which then sparked another conversation about how many other female birds are also called hens.
Honestly, it was one of those simple little conversations that probably wouldn’t have happened without two unexpected visitors in the pool that morning.
The ducks likely won’t return now that the pool is properly opened and chlorinated, but we may see them again in the fall when the pool is covered for the season and rainwater collects on top. Over the years, we’ve occasionally had migrating ducks stop overnight on the covered pool during their autumn journey south.
For one chilly Mother’s Day morning though, our backyard briefly became a duck pond.
And somehow, in the middle of a cold spring and the slow work of opening the pool for another season, it turned into one of the sweetest little moments of the weekend