Geese Landing

The pair came down in tandem, as usual, and lit on the surface of Mallard Lake with ease and grace.  The closeup is one of my favorite bird photographs ever.

Classy Couples

Waddling along on dry ground, geese can be ungainly animals. During my visit to Blackwell, several geese in couples swam, very elegantly, quite near the pier I was on, looking about as wonderful and classy as could be. Here are some closeups.

Still Water, Plants, Geese

After the flying geese passed, I looked down to see a pair of swimming geese near the pier, and a tangle of weeds and greenery extending into the quiet water.

Low Fliers

The honking racket of the apparent residents of Blackwell Forest Preserve -- the full-voiced gaggle of geese -- was very restless, screeching for a time and flying low across Silver Lake. And back. Only to repeat the move, giving me several chances to grab photos of the flight plan.

Sharing the Sky

Elgin's eagles dominate the sky when they soar, but the certainly share the skyline with several other species. The two days I visited, I saw many gulls and some decent sized flocks of geese in the air.

Geese at Sunset

My final two sunset pictures at West Branch look quiet, but the geese were not as much at rest as they look here. One and then another honked and honked for a good ten minutes, the sound dying with the light.

After I had turned away from the water and headed toward the car, the wonder of a set of branches etched into the darkening sky became the last image of the shoot.

Flying South

A wonderful gaggle of geese were heading south, right over Morton Arboretum, from my Hidden Lake vantage point. Rare to see such a symmetrical formation.

By the way, I am pleased to notice this is my 700th post with more than two months left before my second year is complete. Still loving put the photos out there.

The Birds and the Bison

My vantage point for bison photography, north of the old barn on the Fermilab property, had me perhaps 25 yards from where the giant animals were feeding. Apparently at their noon meal, they paid little attention to me. After several minutes, one and then another of the bison began to move away from me and toward the south, where pens and another pasture area are located.

As they lumbered on their way, the pasture to the west, behind the bison as I watched them, was filled with thousands of geese, pecking the ground or standing still. At a moment, either triggered by the bison or coincidentally, they left. They all left. A cloud of geese, thousands of geese, squawking about being rousted, flew southeast in a cloud. Had they flown over my head, I would have felt like I was in the movie The Birds. An awesome sight.

Later, I saw some of the geese walking on water. Well, technically, walking on ice, but it sounds more dramatic the other way.

Our next post will take a different tack. Restoration of a photo of a dear loved one. A task filled with joy, coming soon.