Friday
Mar282008
Fact - despite the snow storm - it IS spring
Friday, March 28, 2008 at 7:16AM
Pictures tell a story. I suppose that's why they say a picture is worth 100 words... because every picture tells it's own story. These shots below also tell a story - and an exciting one (even with the 3" of fresh snow on the ground at the end of March - didn't somebody tell March it's "In like a lion and out like a lamb" not the reverse).
Several evenings ago as I was filling pots with seed starter - I heard the familiar call of geese migrating north overhead. As I busily plugged away mixing water and potting soil together - their calls brought a smile to my face as I felt the warmth of the late afternoon sun on my back. Enjoying being outside and the sounds of spring - something told me to look up.
As I turned my head upwards, a remote fear of falling goose poop in the recesses of my analytical mind, I squinted. There was something not quite "expected" about what was unfolding overhead. It was not just a flock of geese. I heard calling and squawking and goose noise making... but I also heard the pumping and flapping of their wings there were so many... and so close to the ground. There were actually some that had to maneuver amongst the crowd to ensure they were high enough to not collide with the roof. And then - I noticed something very different about these birds...
They were NOT the Canada Geese that had been flocking the neighboring corn cuttings. They were birds of nearly pure white... It was the darn largest flock of Snow Geese I have ever seen... all in flight... all right over the top of my head and the house.
I immediately spring to action and ran as fast as I could with my massive clod hopper farming boots on to the deck and back door - hollering to Kelli all the way. After stomping across the deck and throwing open the back door - her startled jump surely suggested she must have thought I finally managed to cut a finger off doing something! "Snow Geese", I gasped, "thousands of 'em", I stammered between breaths and my feverish pointing to the sky.
The pictures that tell the story are hers... the memory of the first spring day at our new house - getting ready for the growing season and the experience of such a marvel - those are mine.
Several evenings ago as I was filling pots with seed starter - I heard the familiar call of geese migrating north overhead. As I busily plugged away mixing water and potting soil together - their calls brought a smile to my face as I felt the warmth of the late afternoon sun on my back. Enjoying being outside and the sounds of spring - something told me to look up.
As I turned my head upwards, a remote fear of falling goose poop in the recesses of my analytical mind, I squinted. There was something not quite "expected" about what was unfolding overhead. It was not just a flock of geese. I heard calling and squawking and goose noise making... but I also heard the pumping and flapping of their wings there were so many... and so close to the ground. There were actually some that had to maneuver amongst the crowd to ensure they were high enough to not collide with the roof. And then - I noticed something very different about these birds...
They were NOT the Canada Geese that had been flocking the neighboring corn cuttings. They were birds of nearly pure white... It was the darn largest flock of Snow Geese I have ever seen... all in flight... all right over the top of my head and the house.
I immediately spring to action and ran as fast as I could with my massive clod hopper farming boots on to the deck and back door - hollering to Kelli all the way. After stomping across the deck and throwing open the back door - her startled jump surely suggested she must have thought I finally managed to cut a finger off doing something! "Snow Geese", I gasped, "thousands of 'em", I stammered between breaths and my feverish pointing to the sky.
The pictures that tell the story are hers... the memory of the first spring day at our new house - getting ready for the growing season and the experience of such a marvel - those are mine.
Reader Comments (1)
And how many did you shoot down for dinner?
Wow, I bet that must've been a spectacular site (and sound!).
We've had "rivers" of black birds of some sort flying overhead, always travelling from east to west. I don't think they're crows... Need to see if red winged black birds flock like this. They don't seem like starlings. Whatever they are, there sure are A LOT of them passing through... I would guess the flock is so long that it could easily run a mile, while probably being less than a couple hundred feet wide.