A moment of beauty

[Forty Rod]

I had an appointment at the VA Hospital in Loma Linda this morning. The grounds are dotted with several lake-ettes or ponds in a grassy, hilly area. The sky was crystal clear...rare for here...and blue, the temperature about 65 degrees, and altogether a very pleasant day.

As I walked from the parking lot I saw the usual contingent of swans, ducks, and geese in the ponds, but as I crossed the footbridge, eight of the Canadian geese started honking their brains out, stood up and charged down the hill toward the nearest pond. (BTW, geese run funny.) Thirty or so feet from the water they took to the air, still honking for all they were worth, formed a V with one on point, six down each side and the eighth pulling drag. They circled right, still in perfect formation, and turned south, then swung back east, and out of sight beyond some trees. The formation was nearly perfect and they never got more that a couple of dozen feet in the air. They never stopped honking.

The traffic getting there and the concern about the tests I was to get suddenly just didn't make much difference any longer.

[Leo Tanner]

That's great 40, I love those moments.  Deus Beaticus.

[Russ T Chambers]

40
Had one of those experiences many years ago.  I flew a friend and I up to Northern Wisconsin on the board with the UP of Michigan.  Dodged, then had to wait out thunderstorms on the ground on the way up, so we got there late.  So we had to slog through soaking forests and sopping bushes, then st up camp in the dark/
However the next morning we go up and walked about 100 yards to a small lake just down the trail, just after sunrise, when everything has that soft golden glow to it.  The air was still and moist and a mist was rising off the lake.  .
There across the lake in the sunlight were a doe and her fawn drinking at the edge of the water.  To quote a commercial, "Priceless"!  Made all of the problems of the previous day worth it!!

Like you said Leo "Beautiful Day"!

[Leo Tanner]

I went to a party up in the mountains once.  It was a three day affair and I didn't make lodging arrangements thinkin God would just smile on me.  Well, I ended up crashing on a beach along the river.  Durring the night some kind person covered me with a warm blanket and put a roll of paper towels under my head.  I woke up warm and comfortable to a beautiful morning with mist hanging over the river.  Whoever gave me those things never took credit so I just told everyone how greatful I was.  Those days are long over for me but I remember that morning like it was yesterday.

[Texas Lawdog]

We get a lot of those Canadian honkers every fall. Sunrise or Sunset are my two favorite times of the day. Things are peaceful for me then.

[Delmonico]

We have them at any puddle in town that has water, I know where the "poop like a goose" idea came from.   

[Daniel Nighteyes]

"Full-of-grace" moments like that are worth remembering, my friend.  Thanks for sharing.

[Delmonico]

Forty Rod, come out here sometime when the snow geese are going south on a clear day.  I love to watch them play change the leader during deer season.  They are often so high up they look like dots.  The lead goose gets tired and moves back, the V goes to heck, another one fights to the front and they get the mess fixed.  In case you didn't know it, the V is made of the rest of the geese drafting to save energy.  Kinda like the NASCAR guys do on Sunday afternoon.

Quite a show when you can catch it.  I do always worry about lookin' up at geese though, refer to my last post.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

We have tons of Canadas around here. Some winter over here. They're flocking up now, seeing large V's a lot now.........Buck

[litl rooster]

they like the V it's easier to accomplish than a W

[Leo Tanner]

We see them in March and April.  I've seen the formation changes Del mentioned.  They have a distinctive honk and I think ours come from Brittish Columbia.  Maybe they learned from the RAF.

[Forty Rod]

When I lived in northern Utah we were in a flyway and Willard Bay migratory bird refuge was only about 35 miles away. We saw them all the time.  We had ducks and geese, pheasant, quail and partridge, all kinds of birds.  We had large and small game then, too.  I've seen elk and deer in my own yard, on school grounds, in town, all over the valley.  I killed a bobcat on the 13th hole of the country club.

There's a lot of wildlife around here, too, a lot more than folks would believe, but we don't see as many birds...and almost no waterfowl except those damned seagulls.

[Russ T Chambers]

We have a plethora of geese here in Reno.  They just don't pass through (though there is a lot that passes through these geese), they tend to take up yearlong residency.  Some of our parks are not places you'd want to use the grassy areas for picnics!

Ok I can't resist.....
Ever notice that when geese fly in a vee that one side is longer than the other?  Know why?



















There are more geese on that side!

[Leo Tanner]

From what I've heard, that extra bird on one side was the last one to be in front and he takes the best position to rest up.

Either that or they're flying the missing man formation for all the ones I've shot.

[Daniel Nighteyes]

Ok I can't resist.....
Ever notice that when geese fly in a vee that one side is longer than the other?  Know why?
There are more geese on that side!

  IIRC, there's another possible answer.  To form a vee that is equal on both sides, you have to have an odd number of geese.  Since geese typically fly with their mates, most flights are composed of even numbers of geese.    Ergo, one side of the vee is always going to be longer than the other.  That is, until folks start shooting...

-- Nighteyes

[Leo Tanner]

That's a good answer Dan.  I didn't know that about geese.  I know squirels mate for life but that's about it.  BTW, the shooting comment was tongue in cheek.  I don't like goose, its too greasy for me

[Russ T Chambers]

I rest my case!
There are still more geese on the long side.

[Delmonico]

I rest my case!
There are still more geese on the long side.

Yep, so simple most folks woun't believe it, btw I asked one of our game bioligists and he said that is the only reason.

BTW I am good at cooking geese if any of the extra's on the long side want to come to supper.

[Leo Tanner]

So who gets the cookie?

[Delmonico]

So who gets the cookie?

Ain't you or Daniel, guess it's Rusty and me and I would prefer roast goose.