Flight Pattern
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Stay Warm
Canada Geese Well it’s still cold this morning and light snow is falling. They keep predicting it will warm up tomorrow. We’ll see. If it gets up to above freezing I’m pretty sure I will see a few people back in shorts. Anyway, here are a couple of facts you may not know about Canada Geese.
In spring and summer, geese concentrate their feeding on grasses and sedges, including skunk cabbage leaves and eelgrass. During fall and winter, they rely more on berries and seeds, including agricultural grains, and seem especially fond of blueberries. They’re very efficient at removing kernels from dry corn cobs. Two subspecies have adapted to urban environments and graze on domesticated grasses year round.
Their feet also keep them warm in the winter. The feet keep the entire goose’s body warm while in the water or tucked up into its feathers. To stay warm, geese will tuck their feet under the down while lying on a frozen pond or snow. That doesn’t work for me. My feet are the first thing to get cold. Stay warm!
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Staying Warm
How do they do it? “Ideas are the most fragile things in the world. If you don’t write them down, they will be lost forever.”
It’s snowing again and predicted to lightly snow all day. We have maybe 2 inches with another inch or two as our total. Always amazed me the geese can do this and who’s idea was it? Stay warm, just as the geese do!
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In formation …
… sort of.
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All I Want is Some Quiet
Canada Geese at Riverbend Ponds I took this image on my walk at the Riverbend Ponds this morning. And what a glorious morning it was. However I think this goose did not have the same impression of the morning as I did. There was a lot of squawking going on and all one sided. I had to laugh as I thought through the following conversation in my head.
Second Goose: “Stop swimming away from me. I’m not done talking to you! Do you hear me?”
First Goose: “Am I going to have to deal with this all season? All I want is some quiet.” Sigh!
Have a great weekend.
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Next Time
Cold Morning on Lake Loveland I drove to Loveland to meet my sister for Sunday morning coffee and one of her special hugs. Sure needed the hug as my dashboard said it was 8 degrees. As I drove by Lake Loveland I was pleasantly surprised to see fog sitting above the lake. With the geese huddled up along the edge of the open water and the sun just coming up, I had to stop, take it all in and pull out my camera. This was not going to be a drive-by morning! Even though it was only 8 degrees I’m glad I stopped. And, when I got to the coffee shop my sisters hug was even more precious to me. Just after I got back in the car and started to drive away the geese lifted off. That would have been an awesome image. Next time.
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Two Geese and a Sunrise …
Just Before Sunrise … makes for the start of a good day. Even with a head cold and hacking cough I rose early yesterday and headed out to the Arapahoe Bend Nature area to greet the morning sun. I find the quiet and beauty in nature to be a healer for what ails me. I was still coughing and hacking when I got back to my condo but sure felt better.
When asking yesterday what light people enjoyed, Paul mentioned morning and evening light. I agree and when you look back over my archives there are plenty of sunrise and sunsets shots to choose from. Being a morning person and enjoying time in nature also draws me to this time of the day. Many people are just getting up or on their way to the cubicle so not many people or traffic to deal with either. I setup my camera and tripod then took a sip of my hot chocolate when these two Canada Geese make their way into my scene. I smiled, took the images I wanted and thanked them. (Yes, I talk to birds.)
So, the snow started yesterday and as of this morning we have about 4 inches. Have a Super Saturday!
