I decided another trip to Wyandotte was in order on this especially muggy morn. I had intended to walk down to the railroad tracks then head back because that is the same amount of walking steps as a roundtrip to Council Point Park with one loop … it is 7,000 steps or 3½ miles. But, I left later than usual since I was downstairs washing and drying a heavy woolen blanket which took forever to finish up in the dryer. I figured it was finally Summer and safe to swap the heavy blanket for a lighter one, even though we have officially passed the Summer Solstice and are now headed toward Fall and Winter. What a pessimist I am sometimes! Well, it was warm and I really didn’t want to hurry so I moseyed along on Emmons Boulevard, re-tooling my intended itinerary in my head while I walked, and eventually deciding just to wing it. When I arrived at the bridge that separates Wyandotte and Lincoln Park, and while crossing over the Ecorse Creek, I peered into the water, as I usually do, scanning for a sign of life. It is still a mystery at this venue, just like at “Duck Landing” at Council Point Park, exactly where the waterfowl disappeared to. When I began my walking regimen in the Fall of 2011, this bridge was my favorite go-to destination, partly because the small Creek area was filled with geese and ducks. I always took some bread with me and that Winter of 2011-12 was so mild, I was able to make this 2¼-mile foray on a near-daily basis. So, it was a quick glance to the water, then a double-take … well, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me because tucked near a tree was a small alcove and the dappled water was churning from geese and ducks and their respective broods who were all congregating there. Where did they come from? The geese and ducks used to swim in the Creek and mill about on the grassy banks and backyard of a nearby residence before a huge berm was built last year … then all the geese and ducks disappeared and I’ve not seen them since. I stood on the bridge looking over at the geese, yet I don’t think they could see me as they continued eating, drinking or grooming themselves. There were several pair of geese with the goslings clustered around their respective parents. The goslings are so much bigger than the last time I saw them, even though I could only see the upper part of their body, which was not submerged in the water. Their plumage has darkened substantially and their markings now more closely resemble that of the adults. They were noisy as well, with the occasional half-hearted honk being heard. I watched them follow the lead of their mothers as to what reeds to nibble on, where to dunk their head and dive into the water, and even the basics, like a quick primer on how to preen their feathers. It was both cute and comical to watch how quickly the goslings mimicked what the mother goose did, even if it was accomplished somewhat clumsily. Interestingly, a few small birds swooped down on a pair of geese attending to their youngsters, and the pair quickly reacted by raising out of the water and much hissing and wing flapping ensued. The goslings just took it in stride and stuck close to their folks and those smaller birds took off in a heartbeat. There were several mallards – both males and females. One mother duck kept her offspring in check in a neat row behind her, so now I really understand where the expression “getting all your ducks in a row” originates. The female mallard had six ducklings who followed closely on her tail; if she swam to the left, so did they and it appeared no one dared get out of place. They reminded me of a wooden pull toy I had as a young child … the larger duck and then a string of smaller ducks followed behind; all had tiny wheels and a thin wire tethered them together so they always stayed neatly in a row. Well, this whole scene just warmed my heart and I vowed to return and bring bread in case there is some secret hidey-hole where they congregate or live nearby now. This is by no means the entire group of mallards that I used to see at “Duck Landing”, but perhaps part of that group “migrated” from there to here. I’ll share some more pictures of this idyllic setting down the road, but this one was my favorite – the pair of Canada Geese, their offspring in tow, chasing off the small songbirds that swooped down too close to their little brood.