Woolgathering at the water’s edge. #Wordless Wednesday #Reflections and long shadows

Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

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About Linda Schaub

This is my first blog and I enjoy writing each post immensely. I started a walking regimen in 2011 and in 2013 I decided to create a blog as a means of memorializing the people, places and things seen on my daily walks. I have always enjoyed people watching, so my blog is peppered with folks I meet or reflections of characters I have known through the years. Often something piques my interest, or evokes a pleasant memory from my memory bank, so this becomes a “slice o’ life” blog post. I respect and appreciate nature and my interactions with Mother Nature’s gifts is also a common theme. Sometimes the most-ordinary items become fodder for points to ponder over and touch upon. I retired in March 2024 after a career in the legal field. I was a legal secretary for almost 45 years, primarily working in downtown Detroit, then working from my home. I graduated from Wayne State University with a degree in Mass Communications (print journalism) in 1978, though I’ve never worked in that field. I would like to think this blog is the writer in me finally emerging!! Walking and writing have met, shaken hands and the creative juices are flowing in Walkin’, Writin’, Wit & Whimsy. I hope you think so too. - Linda Schaub
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35 Responses to Woolgathering at the water’s edge. #Wordless Wednesday #Reflections and long shadows

  1. Shelley's avatar Shelley says:

    Great up-close photos! I love the shadows in the first photo. You’re not going to believe this, but we had a pair of geese in our yard this week. I sure hope they were just passing by and not trying to put their nest in our yard! 

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      Thank you Shelley – I am glad you liked them. The long shadows and reflections made for a peaceful scene with those two geese. They must be a mated pair – they seem to be inseparable. You can’t miss them – the one has broken feather sticking out of one wing, which looks painful to me.

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      • Shelley's avatar Shelley says:

        You’re welcome. Aw…I hadn’t noticed the broken feather on the wing, it does look painful. It’s nice they stick together to stay safe. 

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      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

        Yes, they are inseparable … except one does not like peanuts, so stands by and watches. There is another goose with a worse feather issue … I don’t see it as often and it is usually by itself. I will have a photo of it for this week’s post.

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  2. bushboy's avatar bushboy says:

    Nice geese photos 😀

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  3. Reflections and shadows, a peaceful scene.

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    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      Thank you Barbara. These appear to be a mated pair. They are everywhere in the Park, always side-by-side and I hope that one goose loses that big feather sticking out sideways when it moults – it looks painful.

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      • I didn’t notice that feather. It does look uncomfortable, if not painful. When do they molt? I think that is the whole point of molting, to get rid of old or damaged feathers. I wonder if it is the male or the female with the bent feather? I guess we’ll know when one of them sits on a nest!

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      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

        Barbara, I have a post coming up this Sunday and it has a photo of another goose with a bent feather, even worse that this one. The geese usually start molting in June, then they paddle with their goslings down to the Detroit River, not far away, maybe a mile by water (it’s two miles by foot). They lose all their flight feathers, so they will be gone until around Labor Day. I’m glad for that as they keep eating all the peanuts and seeds I put down instead of grazing on grass. I wonder after this project (which they haven’t started yet) if I’ll be able to see the shoreline then, so I can monitor for goose nests.

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  4. They look so natural in this setting.

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  5. Pretty captures of these elegant geese, Linda! They look quite content!

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    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      Thank you Terri. I believe they are a mated pair – they are always together. It’s easy to tell it is them as one goose has a feather issue (broken feather in his/her wing). And that goose is a peanut eater, a feat that I captured with my camera the other day.

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  6. rajkkhoja's avatar rajkkhoja says:

    Beautiful geese 🦆. Reflections and shadows.

    Thanks Linda!

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  7. AnnMarie R stevens's avatar AnnMarie R stevens says:

    Miss Linda……………………..none of us could get that close nor want to, that close to Mama and Papa…………………………geese…………………….Beautiful pictures!……………………what does “Wool-Gathering”………………………..mean??

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    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      Hi Ann Marie, I’m glad you liked the geese at the ledge at Council Point Park.  I think they are a mated pair as they are always together.  They are easy to find as the one goose has a big feather sticking out of the side of its wing – hopefully it falls out when they moult this Summer.  To answer your question, woolgathering is like daydreaming, so the geese are just daydreaming while peacefully sitting there at the water’s edge.

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  8. trumstravels's avatar trumstravels says:

    Very pensive Geese !

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    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      Yes they are Susan after chasing after the other geese and hissing and wing-flapping at me after I caught them stealing the peanuts and seeds (and also got a photo of that as well). 🙂

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  9. Ally Bean's avatar Ally Bean says:

    Nice tail feathers! I usually see geese on the move not sitting still in quiet contemplation.

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    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      Yes they are! And one goose has an issue with a side feather. It must have injured itself, but the big feather won’t fall out until it molts this Summer. I liked that I looked over and saw them with their perfect shadows and the reflection on the water.

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  10. TD's avatar TD says:

    Well Linda, I know that this isn’t what I’m supposed to see… but I see BLUE SKIES! Yes, I can see the two geese sunning themselves. But mostly I see blue skies and am thrilled that you had some time out side to enjoy that rare blue sky. It must have been a beautiful day for you!

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    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      Yes, you are right TD – there were blue skies and you can only see it in the reflections unfortunately. It was a beautiful day, one of a few we have had recently, BUT, we have also have had more severe weather yesteray afternoon, predicted tornadoes but only got the high winds and torrential rain. We have a bad thunderstorm coming tonight too, starting at 11:00 and going to be until 2:00 a.m. Sigh.

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  11. Soaking up the sunshine! I wonder if any of these beauties were here last year and you captured them then? Do you know how long they live?

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    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      It was such a peaceful setting Diane – even though they weren’t sitting close to one another. Maybe they had a fight. 🙂 I did not know how long they lived, so I had to Google and they live 10-25 years (that’s quite a range … maybe they were guessing)?

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  12. They seem so proper and cute that I just want to scoop them up! I know that would be a terrible idea though, but their round bodies and tall necks make them look like figurines.

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    • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

      Esther, I always think swans and geese are so regal looking when I see them in the water – these were resting; I think they are mated pair as they are never more than a few feet apart. I wonder if that sideways feather will fall out when it molts this year?

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      • Is this the time of year when they molt?

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      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

        No, usually right around June, suddenly they disappear but down at the Detroit River, there are lots of geese congregating there, waiting on their new feathers. Then they show up again around Labor Day and the goslings are all grown up by then, looking completely like their parents.

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      • That’s interesting and would be a great science lesson! Thanks Linda. I was looking for something to do by next week.

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      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

        Yes Esther – I think it would be a good science lesson. The geese lose all their flight feathers – the big feathers start appearing in the Park along the trail, so they cannot fly, so they paddle down to the River and stay there. There are tons of geese just hanging out at Elizabeth Park on the Detroit River awaiting their flight feathers. They aren’t walking around as much because of predators. We have coyotes running around all over these days. The goslings can’t fly until they are 10 weeks old as their wings are not fully formed, so they paddle along with their parents and stay there with them. As to the ducks, the Mallards lose their feathers and until they grow back their usual plumage that we can tell male from female (besides that little tail feather curl for males), they are all brown and drab … both males and female and that is called “eclipse phase”. I have a post this Sunday and I’m going to mention something that will be a fun science lesson for the kids. I can send you the info beforehand if you want – let me know, okay?

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      • Hi Linda, we ended up doing a science lesson about the lambs since this is the last homeschooling meeting with the teacher for this school year! But the ducks and feather lesson will be coming up soon. That’s a great topic to learn about and one that will fascinate the kids.
        Thank you for the information! Once I catch up with Reader on your Sunday post, I will keep that as reference.

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      • Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

        Hi Esther – I’m glad you came up with another topic. I didn’t realize it was for a home school meeting with the teacher – I thought it was just in general. However, the list I cited in my post is short and funny, but I have a way longer list if you want to see it. I originally was going to use it, but it went on and on, so this one with the graphics worked fine. I think the kids will get a kick out of it. Also, when you catch your breath, I e-mailed you a link to an Australian blogger’s post. He mentioned a huge iguana that hangs out near his place (in the bushes) – it is called a “Lace Monitor” so I sent you the link if you want to show the kids – maybe it went to your SPAM filter. Brian is his name and he has geckos in his house, not as pets … they just come into his house. 🙂

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