Livin' the Country Life

I love my country life!  Imagine stepping out the front door onto the porch to hear an unbelievably loud chorus of honking and quacking from the field just across the road.  That's what we were greeted with on a sunny and warm March evening last week.  Just before sunset, hundreds of geese and ducks took refuge in the corn stubble left from last fall to rest up before continuing their journey to what I'm guessing would be their next stop--a large, man-made resevoir in our neighboring county about ten miles away.

Canadian geese sightings are pretty common around here.  My husband, an avid hunter, gets calls even before the start of hunting season from local golf courses, farmers and the like, requesting that he and his faithful bird dog, Gabby, hunt their land in an attempt to curb the ever increasing population and the mess they leave behind.  Nearly every morning and evening a pair or so will fly over the house, taunting Tim and Gabby with their loud honking, as if to say, "Hunting season has ended and you can't get us."

But this group was different.  This time they were not just your every day Canadians dropping by.  The field was filled with white Snow Geese as well.  It took my breath away to see them so close, having only seen them on T.V. documentaries and in magazine photographs.  These beauties were magnificent.  As we watched, more and more came swirling in, circling the field for just the right spot to land.  You could see the black tips of their wings as they would gracefully glide down to the earth. 

I hurried back inside to grab my camera, knowing they would not let me get close enough for a really good photo.  But I had to try to capture the vision they created.  Wishing I were a better photographer, I snapped a few shots and even took a short video.  But mostly, I just watched in amazement.

Before long, something startled them and a few ducks rose up.  Following their lead, the geese began to rise in large groups, assembling their vee formations to venture further south for a place to settle in for the night. At one point, the noise was deafening as the honkers raised their  strong voices.  It's been a harsh winter here, but when you have scenery like this outside your door, it makes it a little easier to wait out the cold until the warmth of Spring finally arrives.