I usually write a post entitled “Spring Fling” which is that first glorious day that I return home from walking with my coat undone, or even carrying it and my bare head uncovered after many months. Last Sunday, we enjoyed the first sunny day after weeks of being mired in a persistent cloud cover. Before the day was over, unbelievably we climbed to 54 degrees F (12 C).
Earlier that morning, the Groundhog predicted an early Spring, and the weather folks predicted a high in the low 50s, which surprised me after the dusting of sleety snow we experienced on Saturday afternoon. I was ready and willing to head out for a long trek and planned the day’s agenda of three different parks: Council Point Park and two small riverfront parks, to scope out swans and eagles, who usually show up at Bishop Park and Dingell Park respectively. After a late start due to Sunday morning’s still-icy road conditions, my first stop was at Council Point Park. Since this is a picture-laden post, I will focus on the riverfront trips in a separate post.
Gallavantin‘.
I must admit it was a bit chilly as I set out. I even went back into the house and changed into a heavier coat, because the west wind was brisk and at 16 mph (25 kph), with intermittent high gusts, I knew the wind would be whipping me around when I got to the boardwalks at the Detroit River. I spent several hours at Council Point Park. The sun felt glorious and my first stop was at the cement ledge at the Ecorse Creek, where the ducks and geese were gathered; please notice the somewhat mushy layer of ice on the water’s surface and how the Canada Geese had zig-zagged through it, as you see in the below picture.
Chillin‘.
You can see how the waterfowl had broken through that icy barrier in some areas, yet in some places the ice was still intact and the ducks waddled around on top of it. The ducks seemed at ease whether in or out of the water, and they were quacking up a storm – were they happy quacks as the temps were moderating or disgruntled quacks about the ice?
The Canada Geese, because of their size, were plowing through the ice … they came up close to where I was standing, and I suspect that was because they saw my bag of peanuts for the squirrels. I’ve had two more incidents of geese overtaking the squirrels’ peanuts, but the geese were not problematic on this sunny Sunday. No, it was the dogs who terrorized the squirrels and sent them scurrying up the nearest tree (except for Parker who came to see me a long time after the Labradoodle loped by a contingent of squirrels). Here are a few pictures of the Canada Geese.
Fishin‘.
I had hoped to see Harry the Heron and get a photo or two of his fishing prowess, so I hung out with the ducks and geese for a while. Harry must have gone to another fishing hole, but I was astounded to suddenly see a lot of action in the water and took a closer look. With the camera still pressed up against my face, through the lens I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a Canada Goose wrangling something large in the water. I quickly took a photo which you can see up top. I saw a flash of silver, so I thought the goose had bitten onto some trash in the water that was snagged onto a fishing line. I often see bobbers and lures that have gotten tangled up in low-hanging branches over the Creek or bobbing in the water, fishing line and hook still attached. There are many folks who fish off the cement ledge at this small creek and I have always wondered how many fish and what size they could be catching – well, I will wonder no longer.
Suddenly this Canada Goose pulled a good-sized fish out of the water and began wrangling it, as the poor fish wiggled and floundered about. The goose lost that fish countless times before it finally bit down hard and the fish was still. I was amazed as geese are herbivores and their diet consists of grass, reeds and underwater aquatic plants (not to mention bread that people feed them, and now we know they like peanuts as well). Fish are not a staple of their diet. In all my years of trekking around this park and other venues where geese are present, just one time did I see a goose with a fish and it was a bite-sized one. 🙂
I took a lot of shots of the goose wrangling this silver fish from start to finish; these are my favorite pictures below. The fish was the size of the head of the goose and just ask me if he/she shared that prize with its mate or friends? Nope – I stayed there ’til that fish was down the hatch and no sharin’ by this goose, despite the hungry onlookers.
Meanderin’.
Of course no trip to Council Point Park would be complete without a few pictures of my furry friends. As mentioned earlier, my visit to the Park was later than usual due to the early morning slippery road conditions and that was unfortunate, as the squirrels forage and do most of their visiting earlier in the day. They might make an exception for peanuts, but there were three dogs in the Park the same time as me, and that put the kibosh on any lengthy visits or photo sessions with the squirrels or peanut-scamming birds. A huge Labradoodle galloped around the Park scaring the squirrels to their respective trees, but faithful Parker eventually surfaced, as you’ll see at the end of this post. While waiting for my furry friends to show up, I meandered around, taking in the sights and seeing the sun casting some amazing long shadows – I had forgotten all about that sun-and-shadow concept due to the lengthy absence of Ol’ Sol.
Most of the snow from the storm a few weeks ago was gone, but due to the cold temps, tiny piles of snow dotted the sides of the perimeter path and this portion of the Creek looked like a washboard as you see below.
Oh Sun, glorious sun … it was a feel-good day and everything in the Park just looked better with a glint of sun touching it, like the metal park bench with its wavy, grid-like shadow on the grass …
… or the pretty berries against the blue sky.
Even the twisted tree looked like wooden artwork.
Nuttin‘.
Parker found me and put in an appearance, so I passed out peanuts. He was a bit of a ham in the second picture, don’t you think? (Notice how the current must be stronger as there is no ice behind where Parker is standing and the wind made waves in the water.)
It was the perfect place to while away the day, but after several hours I finally departed and headed down to the Detroit River to do some strollin’ on the Riverfront. Stay tuned for that post.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
A goose ate a fish? That surprises me. Suppose the goose was confused, so hungry it didn’t know what it was doing? Maybe the fish looked like a large tasty vegetable!
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Yes Ally – it was amazing and wasn’t that incredible when you notice the fish is the size of the head of the goose? He finally flipped the dead fish onto the ice, using the ledge of ice like a plate or how a dog/cat would eat its food. I did not have a photo of that as the photos I took were blurry since the fish and ice were the same color and the goose had its back toward me. I told one of the walkers who grew up in a rural area and enjoys nature and walks there every day – he was incredulous, but does not have internet and neither he/I have a smartphone, so I cannot show him the photos. I may have them printed out just to show him- he always points out the heron or black ducks (a rarity at our park) so I will likely do this for him.
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I am always amazed when I see a bird down those large fish, seems they should choke, great capture. Silly Parker 😊. The ice on the water is so interesting.
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It was amazing Kim – only one time did I see a goose down a small shad or minnow, but this fish was as big as its head. He finally ended up flipping it onto the ice and eating it like it was on a plate. I see the ice like this at Coan Lake too – half the ducks huddle together on top of the ice and the rest are huddled together in the water.
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It is nice to see someone get pleasure from squirrels and Canada geese. I am not one of those people, and would happily send every last one within a mile from me up to a new home in your locale.
The fish-eating goose was kind of cool, though.
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Squirrels can be pests, I will grant you that JP. Since I lost most of my backyard plants and bushes in the first Polar Vortex in 2014, I am not as concerned about the garden as I once was, and since I began my walking regimen in 2011, I have not devoted the effort to the garden. So, I feed and interact with the squirrels and birds at the house daily and of course the park where I walk weekdays. I try to hit the larger parks on weekends, weather permitting. The geese can be a pain at this park, especially since they have taken to bullying the squirrels by eating the peanuts I put down for them. That’s problematic. I thought the goose eating a fish was very cool too – it is unusual so he must’ve been hungry and enjoyed flaunting his prize to the other waterfowl too.
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That was a pretty good size fish, I have seen geese and ducks trying to eat the little fish that look like minnows. But I have never watched them long enough to see if they actually ate them or just attempting to eat a fish. Now we know. They arrive before the grass turns green so they have to improvise their diets. Great photos Linda, I like the natural art work of the trees and seeing your photos of the park with no snow is uplifting, even though I know there will be more to come probably. Looks like Parker can be quiet the ham. A wonderful walk through the park.
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Thanks Sandra – that was such an enjoyable day. Hard to believe it was just 6 days ago – when I went outside it was 24 degrees and 34 for a high today. While there, I looked around at the frozen Creek, snow everywhere … a letdown. And the sun was out last Sunday making everything look better. That tree is unusual looking. I think it is dead yet, it is not decayed … very bizarre. I was amazed with the size of the fish. I saw a goose with a minnow years ago, but that was it.
This was a huge fish and he flopped it onto a ledge of ice and finally tried eating it like a dog/cat would eat from a bowl. Parker is a ham and I took that picture of him not noticing the nut in his mouth, but more just because he was looking right at me by the twisted tree and the waves in the water behind him.
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That made the picture, the nut still in his mouth looking right at you. I have not seen many squirrels out west here. Texas had that one giant squirrel, there was a little tiny thing, he looked more like a chipmunk, I just remembered, I never did use that photo. I will have to go look it up again.
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He is a really cute little guy and he really was hamming it up here. I remember that giant squirrel – that is when I started following you.
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He was huge, when I first saw him I was talking to myself trying to figure out what it was. Then I looked it up on the internet. Then someone else mentioned the giants squirrels in some other country, I looked it up and they looked half squirrel half monkey. It was so interesting, so many different animals in the world.
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Yes there are – the UK blogger who goes to a bird sanctuary every day or the shore to photograph birds, is amazed at the size of the American robin and I think their robin is just the cutest and perkiest little bird.
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I know I can look up all the birds and wild life on the internet, but it is more fun to see them on people’s post as they describe what they are and where they are taking the photo.
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I agree with you – I just looked at Andy’s site (the UK bird photographer) and apparently they are having some severe weather so he posted some of his older pics … he has lots of different birds (for me anyway) and that cute robin.
https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/85265395/posts/2582815126
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I just looked at his site, very colorful birds. And I looked at the radar, they are getting hit by a huge storm. I figured it must be big he said he will post after the storm.is over.
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Yes, he does some beautiful birds and he is retired and travels sometimes and does historical shots (I like the nature best) … he has some nice shots of poppies trailing down a castle and out into a courtyard – just amazing and usually reposts it for Armistice Day.
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I followed him, when I get on.the computer again I will save his post.
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You will like his posts, and he has so many shore birds with extremely long beaks and he identifies each of them. I am going to go now Sandra – I have a few posts to read in Reader and then try to sort through my Valentine’s Day pics I took earlier in the week so I can write the post before the end of the week … I think it will be photos and captions mostly. I still need to write my post for Tuesday (blogiversary and 40 years a legal secretary) and no pictures for that except I’ll grab a photo from Pinterest I think. I’m going to try to get to bed early too. You have a good evening – rest up for the final leg of your trip to Iowa.
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Me to Linda, as always I look forward to reading your upcoming post. We have about 7 hrs to go. Have a good night.
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You are likely already on the road now or soon will be – is hubby an early riser too? I picked through my pictures but now have to go thru and decide which ones to use – they look very similar so have to winnow them down. I need to write tomorrow’s post tonight and get some pictures for it – not my own pics though, just a few from Pinterest. I jammed myself up by writing a long post yesterday and going for walks both days … I didn’t really plan on any of those things, but this time of year, you have to “get while the gettin’s good” and I took a slew of photos yesterday in the snowy Park. (Can’t resist sometimes even if they look similar to other shots.) I hope this week goes smoothly with the computer program transition – that is why I catered to myself too … the treks and writing about them are enjoyable for me. Next weekend I HAVE to do some things in the house … last night’s snow turned to rain so it is slushy out now and I’ll still have to shovel a little and walking might be dicey, so will have to skip a walk this morning. Have a safe trip home.
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He is not a early riser. He likes to sleep in, and he does most of the driving. So I work on photos and stuff while he sleeps. We don’t like to take off until the sun comes up any way. To many deer early in the morning. It is all interstate from here, so won’t be to bad. Have a good day Linda, hopefully the computers will work good. Windows 10 isn’t to bad, I like it now. So now that I like it, it will probably change to another one. That is how it usually works.
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You are a very early riser – now since it is Wintertime, I set my alarm and then go back to bed to listen to the news and weather and promptly fall back to sleep. Getting up at 5:30 a.m. as opposed to 4:30 a.m. (like Summertime) is not a slouch, but I don’t get as much done either. After this weekend, I will get up at 4:30 again – it is lighter in the morning and if it is not a walking day, I will try to get something else done in the house … I used to do a lot of things in the morning before leaving on a walk or errands … that was before blogging took off in November of 2017. Before that time, only two people commented on my posts and the posts were much shorter with only a few pictures so I was not spending as much time on WP. All my 2020 resolutions have not worked out so good thus far.
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I get more done in the mornings, I have more energy then I guess. I love the summer hours also. When you can walk in the morning and it is a comfortable temperature. When we are camping, like now. I work on the computer, get the coffee going. And I usually take the dogs out for their morning walk before he gets up. Up at the cabin, I don’t take the dogs out until day light, there are a lot of critters still roaming around in the dark of the night. Lots of coyotes also. They have such an eerie howl. More like a scream.
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Yes, I’d be afraid to go out in the dark too … even to look for owls. Now I am heading off here. Early morning is best … at all the Parks, the feathered and furry critters are foraging and it is the best time to see them. I love walking but no fan of the heat and humidity to do so. The day at the pony farm – it did not open until noon and I got there beforehand but no action until about 11:45.
It was a sickening hot and humid day … I told myself “this is why you always walk in the cool of the morn.” But I thought it would be fun, so did it.
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Hi Linda, we made it back a couple hours ago and I am exhausted. Mostly unpacking, seems strange to be in the house. We were gone a long time. I am trying to read but can not stay awake. I have a lot to do tomorrow, so I am done for the rest of this evening. I am shutting down , catch up with you later, hope the computer system work well. Have a good night.
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Hi Sandra – glad you made it home safely. I am going to write a post for tomorrow – you will be up and at ’em tomorrow morning for an early walk and writing a post. Maybe it will rain and you can ease into your day.
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Good Morning Linda, came back to no snow in the yard, that was nice. And the sun is going to be out. So no resting today, still some unpacking to do, laundry. The usual stuff. But, being the sun is in full swing today, I have to go down to the river to see about the Eagles. They had not arrived yet when I left here. I am curious if they are still here.
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Our snow melted on the concrete so that’s a good thing, but was a little dicey and icy to walk yesterday. This morning I think it is fine and I’ll go soon. Tomorrow as well, then the 3-6 inches of snow and Arctic Blast on Wednesday into Thursday. I did my post last night but am waiting on my “blogiversary banner” to insert into the post to finish it – guess it doesn’t come til later today, so will have to publish the post tonight. No nature in today’s post but I still have three sets of pictures, two from the Park and one from the River pictures for more upcoming posts. Good luck with the eagles this morning Sandra- if it was sunny, I’d drive to the River to see the Eagles but it is cutting it close for getting back for work and it’s hard enough to get the shots on a sunny day, let alone a gray morning like it is today.
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Looking forward to your post. Yes, grey sky’s are no fun for bird photography. Have a good day today.
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I think I will do it for next Tuesday or Wednesday … the funny thing about this snow all Winter has been that we get snow and I figure it will be enough snow and ice to stay home and not walk but in the last three-four weeks, the weather looked bad, but cleared up in the streets, so I got out. It is a shame it will snow tomorrow and get so cold as this time it may stay. But this weekend, I need to spend one day at least … I had a nice walk this morning and saw a Kinglet, but not sure if a red head or yellow head as it was up high. Heron was flying down the Creek passageway but I was behind some bushes so missed that. But it was a good walk and a little sun which makes a difference – hope you saw your eagles.
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I had to look up what a Kinglet is, so cute. I have never seen one of those. It is nice to be back for awhile, the normalcy of a house I guess. Being in an RV is quiet different. I went to the old place, Lock and Dam 14 to see if there were any eagles. And not one, they changed the area down there, and cut down a couple of trees they liked to set it. They put up man made perches for them. And the only thing on the perches are Gulls. So I think they have left that spot for good. So I went to another location where I have never seen any before, but there are lots of trees and to my surprise there were dozens of them. The sun was out and they were flying. So I took a lot of photos. It was a good day out. I will go back this weekend when the weather gets a little better.
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Good, you were lucky – I am trying to decide whether to go tomorrow or just walk at the Park and take the car for a spin due to our 3-6 inch snowfall tomorrow night and more snow on the weekend. The snow has not been problematic this year as it seems to clear up on the roads/sidewalks relatively quickly. I did not intend to take any pictures today, just walk and feed, and saw the Kinglet but decided I was not dragging out the camera from my zippered pocket in the vest, then someone had built a snowman so took it out. He was very small and plump with a sharp, pointed beak. I saw one last year in the same tree and took a picture – asked if anyone knew what it was and someone said it looked like a yellow-crowned Kinglet. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Golden-crowned_Kinglet/overview
Zoomed in with the small camera – also a woodpecker on top of a tall tree. A good morning. Here is the Kinglet … there is a red-headed one. I honestly did not see its head as it was up high.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Golden-crowned_Kinglet/overview
That’s too bad they tore down the trees and made man made perches for the eagles – they likely don’t like that. What a shame. At least you were lucky at the second locale.
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They look so tiny, the map showed a lot of blue where they don’t breed, like Iowa. Migration and breeding ground are more around your area and north. I couldn’t believe how many Eagles I saw, what a treat that was.
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Yes, I believe it would be incredible to see those eagles … you were lucky.
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I know, I dont have many Eagle photos and I was hoping they would still be here when I got back. They leave in a couple months and wont see any until next year.
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Ours are only down on Mud Island during the Winter time (that’s what the people tell me who go there on a regular basis).
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I am calling it a night Linda, I always think I can watch a movie at night, and then I fall asleep at the end. Before I see the end of the movie. I should watch a movie earlier in the day. Then I might see the ending.
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OK – you get up so early, I can see why… will catch up tomorrow.
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I could not keep my eyes open any longer last night 🙂 , I have 2 dogs and a cat, I never expected to have a cat, but we ended up taking care of a stray and of course fell in love with her and she gets along great with the dogs. So I have been on a wake up at 3 am schedule for years, and she is the alarm clock. If I don’t get up right away, she will jump on me and literally punch me in the face. Lovingly I am sure. 🙂 I am not one to take a nap during the day, and cold weather zaps my energy I think. In the summer I go outside right away and start a little camp fire in my backyard and enjoy a cup of coffee while everything is quiet.
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Well I intended to get up at 4:30 this morning to finish off the post using the pictures and walk taken yesterday. I had not intended to do a post about the walk (just the snowman) and changed my mind. But I ended up not getting up until 5:30, hardly late, but for today’s long post, it made a differentce. In the meantime the snow that fell last night seems to have cleared off the street and driveway so likely I’ll take the car out because we have a snowy and maybe icy week ahead. I am returning to the Park … I’ll drop off the suet and more peanuts if the squirrels are not out. I will catch up here later as we are having anywhere from 2-4 inches coming in early afternoon. The weather report seems to change by the hour – freezing rain is also on the radar – ugh. Have a good day Sandra.
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I have been editing some older photos this morning, We are doing some driving today. I looked at the radar, looks like Mi and Wis are going to get a lot of snow. Have a good day also Linda.
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It is nice to have ace-in-the-hole pics to use so it doesn’t go too long between posts. I had intended to do four long posts (left over from Summer pictures) over the Winter, but I’ve been lucky to get out on the weekends … that is not always the case, and I saved them in part because the weathermen (several of them) had predicted a very cold and snowy Winter. (The pony post was one of the four, so three left now).
I’m glad the bad Winter has not happened so far. The snow is coming down in earnest right now – your review of the radar was spot on and the storm is coming from Wisconsin. A fellow blogger who lives there told me they were supposed to get 10 inches of snow this weekend. Safe travels to you Sandra – you’ve probably stopped for the night now.
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I found some photos I had forgotten about, that is always a fun find. We have stopped for the night, usually stop at a truck stop that has RV parking or we park in large parking lots like Walmart if they let you. It is a truck stop tonight. We will be back tomorrow. It looks like my area was just getting rain. I will still be going through some older photos like you are for post. Stock pile a few for when we can not get outside.
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Yes that’s always a good idea … it is picking through those pictures … I went a little crazy at the Henry and Clara Ford Estate (good thing the home was under renovation) … they had so many gardens and wildflowers that day. It will be a massive task to sort through them and I’m sure a lot of them look alike. I did see a goldfinch but can’t remember if I got a good shot of it or not. But there weren’t a lot of birds at that site.
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Oh the difference a good dose of sun makes!
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Yes, it makes you feel so good and everything looks better with a shot of light through it.
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As always the pictures were great too!
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Thank you Kate – I have a part two to do later when I was down at the Riverfront. I already had way too many pictures for this post so had to stop.
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So nice to see the sun, and I remember that Monday was especially warm. Maybe the goose is on the Keto diet!
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We got a little sun today, but as I was walking home, but it was very pale. Th Sunday/Monday temps last week were just amazing and I like that flukey weather. No chance of anything this week – all cold and snowy. We have snow coming down right now. Ha ha – it just may be and he stuffed himself silly on it.
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These pictures are so vibrant! It amazes me how the Geese can thrive despite the temps. Wow, that is a true “animal planet” site to see with the goose and it’s dinner. I guess I never have really considered what they actually eat! Haha Parker is quite the ham. Thanks for sharing, Linda! I am glad I had this travel day to at least pop in for minute!!
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Glad you like these pictures Mackenzie – it was sunny, so that helped. We’ve really had a lot of gray days lately. I appreciate you popping in as you have minimal free time because of school. Your next assignment, while walking or running around Austin, is you must find a squirrel who hams it up by having a nut in its mouth and facing you, or a fish-eating goose. You said you were enjoying the local critters and used pictures in a recent post, so I will look for them in your future posts. 🙂 You already have had the squirrels, ducks and heron featured. I saw one goose one time with a teensy fish, nothing like this big fish. And this goose really had no intention of sharing, even though it was difficult to eat. They normally eat grass, reeds and underwater plants which they dive for. Lately they wander over to where the squirrels’ peanuts are and help themselves – been walking there since 2013 and have never have seen that happen before.
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Hehe I’m going to make this my mission!! Can’t wait to share!
That’s so interesting about the geese too!
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Hopefully your schedule permits Mackenzie – you need brain-airing time in the early morning or evening … there will be your best chance to accomplish this mission!
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Absolutely !! I’m excited about this. Will be a fun challenge too when I’m out on my walks!
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I think so too Mackenzie and your weather permits it year around as well … I’m going to try and get some shots of birds this weekend to participate in this event just for kicks … chilly out here, with -1 windchill and 11 air temps … brrrr!
Great Backyard Bird Count, now in its 23rd year, is set to take place February 14–17, 2020. During this popular citizen science event, people from all over the world head outdoors to count birds and the data are used by scientists to track the health of bird populations.
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That’s fascinating!! I wonder how they arrange it all- sounds complex, but I’m intrigued! Did you submit any data? I bet you see a good amount to help contribute!
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I thought so too and intended to participate but only saw one cardinal last weekend, so I did not fill in the form. I know they have it every year, so I will try next year to do better. I thought it was a great idea and it is worldwide, so I passed the site along to a UK bird photographer I follow.
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You hoped for a bird fishing, and you found one, just not the heron you assumed would catch a fish.
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Isn’t that amazing Anne? I’d have been excited for the heron fishing, but this made me ecstatic; I thought I was seeing things.
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It was a first for me.
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You told me before that you saw the goose eat a fish, but those photos you got are just amazing! I feel like they should be in National Geographic or some other nature magazine. Way to go, Linda!
I am so ready to begin reading posts with the word “Spring” in the title! My daffodils are up, but no buds yet. I think it is just a tease. Early February is too early to be thinking about daffodils but I still dream…
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Thank you Laurie – that was sheer luck on my part to be there at the right tine. I was just astounded to see this happen. And the goose was persistent with twisting its neck to bite down on that fish to kill it or capture it when it escaped from its beak. It was entertaining to watch.
I know what you mean – I’m amazed your daffodils are showing through the dirt already. If we had stayed at/around 50 degrees, it may have triggered some bulbs, but we were 24 degrees when I went out this morning and it was really cold. A blogger from the UK told me their bulbs are up, buds are there, but no blooms yet. Sigh. It is snowing again right now.
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Wow if I hadn’t seen the goose eat a fish it in your pictures I would have never believed it! What amazing pictures Linda!
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I’d have not believed it either Diane – a small fish perhaps, but this fish was big enough for dinner! It kept him occupied for a long time and he refused to share.
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Miss Linda…………………………that was a good ending with Mr. Parker by the water edge………………I would never have believed it if you didn’t show us the goose actually eating the fish……………………that’s a first for me too………………………..He must have been tired of the wet grass and weeds!!??
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Glad you liked Parker hamming it up Ann Marie. Usually if a squirrel has a peanut, he’s either hiding it, running with it to eat by himself or eating it … it was as if he was saying “look at me – I have a peanut and you don’t!” I was just amazed about that goose and the fish – the fish was huge, as you can see in the one picture of the fish on its side. The goose dropped it repeatedly and dove under the water to get it back. He finally flopped it onto some ice and tried eating it that way, like a dog or cat would eat out of a bowl – just amazing! I guess he could get tired of wet grass and weeds (and peanuts – they’ve tried two more times to steal the squirrels’ peanuts – the nerve!)
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Serendipity at it’s finest!! Awesome geese/fish photos and yes, Parker is quite the ham! That was a good day at the park for sure!
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Yes, it was a good day for sure Shelley. I have never seen a goose down a fish that big! The wistful onlookers did not get a bite of that big fish either. Parker is a ham – I think he knows when he is on “display” so he hams it up when he sees the camera. I’m not sure why he wasn’t just eating that peanut and holding it in his mouth?
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Yes, indeed. I bet Parker was pausing to make sure he would be the first to get to the next toss of peanuts. He’s quite the clever ham.
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I think he relishes his status at the Park. 🙂
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As he should! He’s a blog-star! Did he get any Oscar recommendations?! 😉
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No, unfortunately Shelley, but maybe next year? Good thing as it will give him time to find a tux that fits. 🙂
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Yes he will!!! 😉
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The fish-eating goose is a first for me! I’ve never heard of such a thing. I’m glad you were there with your camera in hand! We were expecting sunshine for this week, but now it looks like we’ll get clouds and more rain. I hope you have a good weather week, Linda! 🙋♀️
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It’s an oddity for sure Sabine, but I guess no odder than the peanut-eating geese. Those geese have been back a few times to do that again. In seven years of walking at this Park, no geese went after peanuts and only one time a tiny fish like a shad or minnow. Is climate change limiting the aquatic plants and reeds they usually eat, so they must change their diet? It would be interesting to know. Well, so much for your sunny walks and getting outside all week. We’ve had a persistent cloud cover most of this Winter, so it is something to rejoice over when it is a sunny day. Our storm yesterday fizzled after turning into rain, but Wednesday’s snow will be more potent.
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The sun’s rays on the pictures are awesome! You know, you’ve the same ducks as we do in our pond. I’ve never seen such. It freaks me that they eat other animals. I know it’s the way of the world and all…I know I tried to send you the video of ducks once, I’ll try again sometime. Maybe it’ll actually work!
Love, light and glitter
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It was an absolutely gorgeous day Ellie and so warm for February. (Especially in contrast to today – when I left the house the air temperature was 5F (-15C) and wind chills in double digits below zero!) The sun’s rays hitting the ice made it look pretty – glad you liked this post. I was amazed to see a goose eating a fish and one that size on top of it. That fish was really big in comparison to the head of the goose. That did not bother me as much as one time I heard a horrid shrieking overhead and looked up in the air. I was sorry I looked up as a peregrine falcon was chasing a medium-sized bird and the bird was flying very fast and screeching and shrieking the entire time – it caught up, no more noise and I felt a little sick. I do remember you had tried to send the video of the ducks. I think I will go to see the ducks tomorrow at Heritage Park – it will be cold and they’ll be huddled together to keep warm. Love, light and glitter back at you Ellie!
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Brr it’s cold…. I’m glad I’ve never got to see such…
💕🕯✨
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Wait til you read yesterday’s post – it was -4 F (-20 C) wind chill! I wanted to get pictures of the ducks and geese on the lake … yes crazy. You are getting the bad stormy weather named “Dennis”.
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Oh yeah I heard about it. How it hits here is no comparison to how it does by you….
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We had a really bad Polar Vortex last year Ellie – it was scary cold and during that time, I did laundry, let the tap drip all night and opened the cupboards to keep the pipes warm. I am not liking this new norm weather – it is erratic and unpredictable.
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Hugs….
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Serendipity at it’s finest!! Awesome geese/fish pix yet yes, Parker is quite the ham! That used to be a helpful age at the bridle for sure!
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That was lucky for me to be at the right place/right time – serendipity is the perfect word … you are 100% correct. 🙂
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