Meet Dorothy. I named her after my grandmother who loved nothing more than being out in her little boat on Hundred Acre Pond.

Looking lost and gazing out over the bay, Dorothy arrived on our beach last Thursday morning. We felt sorry for her. Had last week’s windstorm blown her off course and away from her flock?

Maybe.

But she isn’t exactly wild. She is not afraid of people and even seems to enjoy hanging out with us on the beach. She stays about six feet away, but is always curious about what we are doing and will sometimes venture closer to see what’s going on. Even the neighbor’s barking Boxer didn’t frighten her. She merely waddled into the water and floated a few feet away until he left her alone.

To say she has settled in nicely would be an understatement. She rarely ventures past the dock and prefers to stay in between it and the beach. We think she grew up in a duck pond and prefers the small space. She seemed to be a bit flustered by some large waves at first, but now takes them in stride.

She’s also social, having tried to join the local geese the past two mornings only to be rebuffed with great noise and chaos by angry ganders. She also sits close by when one of us is reading under the umbrella.

All three of us have enjoyed her company.

Do you have any idea what kind of duck she is? My best guess is a female American Black Duck, but then again, what do I know about ducks? Nothing!

I do know I will have to find her a home before we head back home in October.