Thursday 16 October 2008: Pit Stop

Not much effort today, as this is one of three photos I shot. And it was right out the back door before my second cup of coffee. (So any credit goes to Mother Nature.) At least I was alert enough to hear the geese stopping by our pond, making a bit of a ruckus as they landed.

In the spring the geese show up in March, perching on the chunks of ice left over from winter. They start the honking and squawking at around 5:30 a.m., as if they have a whole winter's worth of gossip to catch up on. Makes me crabby.

In the summer, at least for the past two summers, we've had a goose pair raise a brood. I think they have a nest out on the little island on the pond. It's so much fun to watch the goslings grow, and of course heartbreaking whenever I count one gosling fewer than the day before. Makes me feel protective and maternal.

In the fall, groups of geese stop by, as if our pond is a pit stop on their journey south. They're quiet, subdued, adding the last bit of life to the landscape before winter strips it all bare and the pond is frozen and dormant. Makes me feel bittersweet.

• NIKON D50:
• f/4.5:
• 1/60":
• 36mm

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