Migrating Geese

Not only were we blessed with a beautiful springlike day yesterday, but we were also blessed with having visitors - thousands of visitors staying in the melted snow pond half a mile east and south of our house. During the day we heard and saw many gaggles of geese (snows, Canadians and Blues) flying around and over our place. They settled in the fields around us enjoying the spilled corn and soybeans from the fall harvest. As the sun went down, we noticed the geese honking and flocking toward the field behind the old schoolhouse down the road. We used our binoculars to watch them settle in the snow pond - some of them making quite a splash as they landed in the water.

This morning, I bundled up and took my coffee down to see the geese before the sunrise. I found a place to sit across the road where I could see the entire snow pond. As the sun started to rise, the entire sky lightened from darkness to lightness and the honking and quacking from the geese and ducks continued to get louder and louder. As the sun hit the horizon, the sky turned from pink to orange and the birds proceeded to bathe, eat, and prepare for their day.

The liftoff started with two geese taking off and heading north over my head. About 10-15 minutes later, about 100 geese took off, splitting into four groups as they flew northeast. By now, the sun was a huge orange ball above the horizon and the geese were really talking. Many flocks of ducks had been circling over and around the pond in groups of ten to forty. By now, most of the geese had walked out of the water and were eating off of the ground. Their conversations were vivid. They were awake and ready to start the day and the anticipation was heavy in the air. Suddenly, the geese at the south end of the pond lifted up into the sky and behind them were the rest of the geese - forming a blanket of geese above the pond and filling the air with thousands of wing beats and honking geese. The sound was thick, heavy and sent goose bumps down your back. It was absolutely awe inspiring. The geese headed North East and eventually broke into groups as they flew out of my line of vision, their honking and wing beats growing lighter as they traveled.

Nature provides us with so many shows that few human beings get to witness. As I sat there, two planes full of people flew over our head, oblivious to the show below them. The farmhouses to the right and left of me were dark with sleeping humans. The camera I brought with me had a dead battery so the only vision of this spectacular show is through my story. I hope I was able to capture some of the wonder for you.