Canada Geese: They’re On The Move Again

We’ve just had another front come through; this is the second cool front this year as we move into the Fall. We got more than an inch of rain and the temperatures are distinctly cooler; they didn’t get out of the 70s today. It was gray and breezy when I left for the lake. I might not have gone if I had looked at a forecast. It was supposed to be sunny. Anyway, I really needed to go out when the water is a little rough.

I thought I saw a skein of migrating Canada Geese in the late afternoon a week or so ago. It looked like a real migratory group but I wasn’t sure. (There are resident geese that move between small lakes in the area throughout the year.) When I got down to Segment 10 this morning, I saw a gaggle of about two dozen resting just inside Segment 11.

I rowed down to the end of Segment 10, turned around and moved quietly down to the entrance to Segment 11. By that time the geese had moved down to the end near the road. I decided to row slowly into the bay to see if I could get a reasonable photograph of the group. I moved along the opposite side of the bay and turned.

Most of them were standing in a shallow area and they were very alert.

They spooked and took to the air. I had a split second to try for this shot in low light without capsizing. It’s not the greatest shot but was worth the effort for my first migratory group this Fall. And a nice reward for going out on a windy gray day.