After 4 years, we still find delightful places nearby.
“What were we doing all this time?” we ask.
A very good question!
Getting set up in a new home takes time, but certainly not that much.
This will be our 5th Winter here!
Not possible!
Yesterday was brilliant, so we returned to a park that we came upon recently on the way to somewhere else.
Foolishly, I had let my camera battery run down and as I had left my bag at home, I had neither spare battery nor fall-back camera.
But we did have a charger cable with matching plug…
It gave me enough to work with,
though I had to restrain myself!
We had hoped to find geese.
Boy, were there geese!
Many hundreds of them.
We heard them before we saw them.
What a cacophony!
One of my favourite sounds.
The geese were all along the canal for as far as you could see in either direction and more were arriving every few minutes so that you wondered where they could land.
Some of the touch-downs were a little sloppy, but the birds seemed good-natured about it.
The geese appeared to be allowing themselves to drift with the current.
If not for their constant chatter, one would have believed they were sleeping.
But suddenly it was as if they had received an order from flight control, or perhaps more appropriately canal control.
They did an about-face and although it was not obvious visually, the birds were clearly paddling hard because they began to move against the current.
Of the many places I have been privileged to visit, one that is closest to my heart is the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire.
Founded by Sir Peter Scott, son of the great Antarctic explorer, Robert Falcon Scott, it is home to all kinds of wildfowl and many other wetlands creatures.
For a short while, yesterday, the cackle of these Canada geese carried me back to Slimbridge, to that very special place.
Lovely post and the pictures. I have written comprehensive post about Sir Peter Scott creation and his paintings. I love the place too. It is more then just geese and swans.
Joanna
The Canada Geese have already left Beetley. I suppose they are seeking warmer climes, though I doubt New York State fits the bill. Slimbridge is a jewel indeed.
Best wishes, Pete.
We are fortunate to have a Nature Reserve/Wetland nearby so benefit from lots of birds flying to and fro overhead and they come for a mini break to my local canal and river!
Nice to be reminded of Slimbridge. Was only there once but it was memorable.
What a feast for the heart and soul to look at the stunning images here. I wonder if you can ever fathom how much peace and healing you have brought through your stunning, stunning photos.
Thank you for your very kind words. Nature provides the images which I do my best to capture. It is so nice to know that people enjoy them. Best wishes!
Well, you certainly found geese! You have great photos here Carolyn – I especially like the close up shots. Will they stay for the winter now? Thank you for a beautiful series of photos – I love it!
There always seem to be geese around even when the weather turns icy but I think many of these will go south. Perhaps this is their annual “going away party”!
So, you were just in time for the “going away party” then 😁.