In Albert Lea we have these curvy shorefront streets on which it is fun to zip and zoom.

But our fine feathered friends are back in town from their long journey. The mallards have traveled from southern climates to spend the summer in their favorite environment &8212; the pothole prairie regions of the northern United States and southern Canada. For many of the ducks, that means coming to good old Albert Lea for the good life. They come to the Land Between the Lakes.

Let&8217;s not disgrace their visitatation with a splat beneath the wheels of an automobile. Be sure to slow down. Let the ducks have the right of way when they cross the streets. And if you see others speeding along the shores, be sure to remind them to decrease their speed.

It&8217;s funny. You take two drivers with the same destination. One speeds. The other doesn&8217;t. More often than not they will arrive at the same time anyway because of stop signs, stoplights and other drivers. So there&8217;s no point in speeding anyway.

A bird lover would remind us that people put those streets on the birds&8217; shores. The creatures have been using those shores longer than we have. Give them room.