“To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter; to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in Spring — these are some of the rewards of the simple life.” ~ John Burroughs (American naturalist)
This quote sums up a recent early morning walk at Lake Erie Metropark. It was the first full day of Spring and I’d not visited this venue since mid-October. Since I bought my first Metropark pass in the Summer of 2018, I’ve made at least 15 trips to Lake Erie Metropark for walking or enjoying interpretative classes, both on land or two-hour informative cruises.
But this visit was my absolute favorite because, despite the blah landscape, the sun cast stunning reflections on the still water and it was so serene and peaceful as I took it all in.
My first photo of the day captured the pair of Canada geese silently snoozing as seen above. This is in stark contrast to the ordinarily fractious geese who are either honking while flying, or hissing and flapping their wings at one another, or humans they deem threatening to them or their family. (However, goose histrionics would disturb the peace a few minutes later, so I am glad I enjoyed this moment.)
There was not even a hint of a breeze on this morning marsh meander, so the reflections of long-dead Phragmites and reeds looked especially golden.
Hiss and Her.
Every Spring, the Council Point Park walkers eagerly await the arrival of the sweet and fuzzy goslings toddling after their parents. If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll catch a glimpse of a stream of ducklings queued up behind Mama Mallard. But I’ve yet to discover a nest for any of these waterfowl. Where are their hideaways? They don’t sit on a nest that is as easily identifiable as Chloe the Cottontail’s home – that’s for sure. So, where are those locations where eggs are incubated, then quickly morphs into a nursery, just before we begin to ooh and aah over the passels of Springtime babies?
Not long into my trek at Lake Erie Metropark, I came upon something I have never seen in my many trips to shoreline venues, nor my daily jaunts to Council Point Park – that something was a Canada Goose sitting on a nest.
I am assuming it was her mate, the gander, that positioned himself in front of this nest structure to guard his mate and impending family. Luckily, I was far enough away that they paid no attention to me, so I could watch and take some photos of the pair.
But soon another Canada Goose flew too close to the nest and hubby went ballistic as you see below. It flew out of the water in a rage and chased that bad boy, er … interloper, out of Dodge.
All this drama to protect his Missus. I was smiling as I watched the scene through the lens, while happily clicking my camera’s shutter button.
But then a minute later the “warrior” returned and marital bliss quickly dissolved as Mister returned to the nest with an attitude, so undeserving for Missus (in my humble opinion). But maybe I shouldn’t rise to her defense; after all, was she batting her eyelashes at another gander?
Look what happened next – check out the gander’s expressions. Hmm.
Missus was just not going to tolerate Mister’s hissy fit, so she walked away and didn’t return until the drama ceased.
In the end it was all good and they made up, but really?! Yes, I’m scratching my head too.
I took more photos as I meandered along the Cherry Island Trail for the first time in about two years, as that path was either washed out or horribly muddy. Those photos will show a beaver’s handiwork in a future Wordless Wednesday post.
Linda Schaub
I love the quote at the beginning. Your reflection photos are stunning! and you captured a great series of photos of the geese. What wonderful post!
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Thank you Ruth – glad you liked the quote and the pictures. It was such a beautiful morning and I love reflections on the water, but don’t always get them as the water is often wavy or choppy at the waterfront parks, especially during boating season. This was such a quiet scene in the marsh. I felt lucky to see the nesting goose and then the gander defending it mate … I don’t “get” what happened between the pair afterward though.
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That is a perfect quote and the photos are great Linda, I love reflection photos and that goose coming in for a landing was really squawking.
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I decided to search for a quote to describe my experience and I thought it was perfect as well Sandra. I know you love reflection photos and I always love yours … that morning was picture perfect for reflections and calm water. The gander was in a really mad mood when he returned from chasing the other goose away. 🙂
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I enjoy photos that show reflections off of water [or glass, too]. Yours are peaceful which is how I want to feel today, so thank you.
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Glad you liked the photos Ally – it was a peaceful morning and I felt lucky to be there at the right moment to capture these shots.
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“Phragmites” – had to look that one up. Thanks for a new word, Linda. And like the others, I really enjoyed the calm, clear reflections in your photos.
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Happy to share a new word with you Dave. I took an interpretive walk at this park which focused on invasive plants and reeds around the marsh. The Phragmites are invasive and grow very tall and that’s fine in a marsh, but people who live in homes near shorelines, often face sewer problems from Phragmites and their extensive roots. We also learned about Frogbit that day – tiny water lilies that look nice in ponds, but they destroy other aquatic plants. I feel lucky to have been at the right place and right time for these reflections on the water. Glad you liked the photos.
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Wow! Those are GREAT reflection photos, Linda. The one of the Canada geese is so clear. Love the Burroughs quote too. That sums up how I feel about being outside, especially in the spring when everything is popping!
Wonderful story about the goose and gander. I think you captured their feelings perfectly! 🙂
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Glad you liked the reflection photos Laurie. It was such a calm morning and the sun cast some amazing reflections in an otherwise blah landscape. I like that quote as well – I thought it was perfect for this post. It was interesting watching the goose and gander- that gander went from being a soldier and guarding his mate (assuming it was his mate) to some pretty volatile behavior. Nature is fascinating, but I don’t have to tell you that. 🙂
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Even animal couples have their drama!
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Yes, so much for Canada Goose domestic bliss!
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Great shots Linda big old nest those geese make.
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Thanks Andy – it was such a beautiful walk. I had no idea the goose nest would be so large – that really amazed me.
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You covered this really well Linda! Your becoming more sensitive to the animals.
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Glad you liked this post Wayne. I had picture perfect weather for this walk so was able to get these reflections. The pair of geese was so interesting to watch – they went from domestic bliss to utter chaos in the space of about a minute. I am convinced they never saw me standing there!
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Superb pics, Linda! 🙂
I have a signed letter by John Burroughs that i’ve had for a very long time. Burroughs was a good friend to Walt Whitman.
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And I know you like Walt Whitman. Well that is a treasure to keep. I am glad you liked the photos Tom – what a glorious morning it was with the calm water and the sun shining down. It made for some great reflections. I was looking for a quote that went with this post and that one by John Burroughs was just perfect for it.
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Miss Linda………………………….it was very picturesque…………..the first few photos reflecting the landscape……………………you did a wonderful job showing that…………………….it seems there are more Mr.& Mrs. Meany’s (geese) around the area……………………..Mrs. Meany is sitting on a nest now on the edge of the pond………………………….but…………………………..I actually haven’t seen in these 6 years here, any duck sitting on a nest unless the females are so small and have camouflage and I’ve missed noticing them………………..geese are much bigger and it’s easy to spot them
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Thank you Ann Marie – those reflections on the water made it so picturesque and I was amazed how clear the reflections were, especially the geese which were exact mirror images. I’m amazed that Mr. and Mrs. Meany built their nest so close to the pond with all the people coming in and out of the apartment buildings. Mr. Meany has to be extra diligent and on the defensive to protect Mrs. Meany. I only saw the one duck nest after the blogger told me to go to Dingell Park and check out the planter’s box where she was nesting. I was glad I went … I went back a second time and she and the ducklings had already left the nest. That was a couple of years ago. I must get down there again,
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Explosions! You were there to catch them!
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Yes, it was like watching “The Bickersons” in the goose world!
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Wonderful post, Linda! I love all the pictures and the accompanying story. 😊
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Glad you enjoyed it Sabine – it was a memorable walk, that’s for sure!
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Wow Linda, those photos were simply STUNNING! That first one – it it a reflection in the water? And that one just above His and Her…..breathtakingly eerie. It really does tell a story. How long did you watch them for? And did they know you were there?
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Thanks Joni – glad you liked the photos. It was an amazing morning … the water was completely calm and this was in a quiet area of the marsh. The sun was shining and casting beautiful reflections. No people were around making noise; no cars going down the street to the boat launch area. So very peaceful. Yes, the first picture of the two geese snoozing is a reflection in the water and a perfect mirror image, so that’s why I picked it for my header photo. I was watching the geese at the nest for about 10-15 minutes. I took a lot of pictures before the other goose got too close to the nest and the one gander took off after him. I wasn’t all that far away but they never saw me as I was standing next to some bushes.
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The reflections were absolutely beautiful Linda! What is a Metropark pass for? We don’t have that, we just go to any of the Metro Parks we want.
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Glad you liked those reflection photos Diane – it was a very serene morning, calm water, sun was just the right angle to cast some amazing reflections. And I was lucky to be there at just the right time. That’s amazing you don’t have to pay to go to your Metroparks! Our county parks (like Elizabeth Park or Crosswinds Marsh) are free; our state parks is $12.00 added to our driver’s license renewal fee and I’ve done it three years and not yet gone to a state park – none are close by. Our Metropark pass is the most expensive … it is $35.00 a year if you buy it for the next year by December 31st – after that it is $40.00 a year. If you want to just go for the day it is $10.00 for a day pass to a Metropark. If you have several day passes, you can trade them in on a yearly pass. There is a senior discount of $11.00 if you’re 60 and above. I should live in your state for sure!
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This is wonderful! I enjoy seeing what you’re up to.
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Thank you Sarah. It was really a beautiful weather morning. The calm water, the sun casting reflections – I was in the right place at the right time. I was really excited to see that goose nest and was fascinated how big it was and that it was almost like an oasis in the middle of the marsh.
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The quote is beautiful, and all the pictures look wonderful. Nice story about the geese and the gander and the picture of the geese looks great. I especially liked the ones with the water reflections.
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Thank you Kritika. I really liked that quote too. It was such a beautiful morning with those stunning reflections that I decided to look for a special quote to go with this post. I was pretty amazed about what happened with the geese. Here I was marveling at how the gander was guarding the nest and then things kind of fell apart. 🙂 But they seem to have made up in the end so that is good.
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Wow — I’ve never seen a Canada Goose sitting on a nest before. What a great capture, Linda! It will be fun to see the babies swimming with their parents, one of my favorite things in the spring. That was quite a lot of domestic drama for one day. I guess they find a way to work things out in the end.
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It was exciting to see Barbara. Thank you – I’m glad you liked those photos. I love seeing the babies every Spring. They are usually at Council Point Park by the end of April. As I was enjoying their domestic bliss, the unfortunate interloper made quick work of the serene scene.
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Beautiful reflections, Linda.
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Thank you Pam – it was a gorgeous morning.
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☀️
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Perfect pictures for a reflection on spring. It looks like the world is starting to wake up where you live.
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We had a fairly mild Winter Janis, but February was not kind with the Polar Vortex and two big snowfalls. The older I get, I dislike Winter more. The trees all have leafed out in the last few days as we had 80 degrees for about four days (bizarre weather)- the whole landscape changed in the blink of an eye.
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Marvelous photos of these birds in action and captures of the placid water! I learn so much about birds and nature from your posts. Love it.
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Glad you liked this post Esther … it was so serene that morning. Water just smooth like glass, not a ripple and very quiet in the marsh. I was just enjoying the beauty of this scene, until that gander got all stirred up. The beaver chews were taken the same morning, not far from the marsh area, but I didn’t want to include them with the reflections shot. It is funny because when I started my blog, it was about walking in the neighborhood only.
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I like your description of how the water was “smooth like glass.” They look like pictures you would see from a story book,
Interesting beaver chews. If I saw them, I probably wouldn’t even know beavers feasted on them. It’s good to see things in real life about nature than in science books. Hmmmm, I wonder where I can find beavers in our town?!
Blogs evolve and branch out…you’re writing about your walks through other interesting places.
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Glad you like this post Esther. I thought it was one of the nicest walks I ever took. The water and reflections were just perfect – there is always some ripples or waves on the water, but not on this morning … perfectly still. I saw beaver chews in 2020 and was amazed how they chewed the trunk and it was just hanging by a thread. Thank you Esther – it is becoming more about nature around me while walking instead of just walking and some glimpses of nature and other interesting items!
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Oh bless them. I love how you capture the whole drama and wrote about it so beautiful and I loved the quote at the beginning too ❤
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Thank you Zena – it was such a beautiful morning; the reflections were perfect and the nature experience just made me heady. I decided I had to find a perfect quote and it did fit the bill perfectly.
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