A Fowl Sunday Walk

The good news is that I slept well last night. The bad news is that it is snowing out. And it's a driving snow which looks totally unpleasant. Some snowfalls are pretty, but this one isn't — particularly at this late date.

The snow cover had reduced considerably, only remaining where it had been piled up during the winter or where it is very shady. It seems to me that it has mostly gone due to rain rather than warmth. Often by this time of year, we will experience one ar two really warm days but not this year. But it has been warm enough for me to leave the car outside at night. This morning, it will get a dusting or more.

Yesterday was lovely, however: sunny, calm, and hovering around freezing.

We walked to the pond which was teeming with life. I can't recall seeing it so crowded. Not only that but numerous skeins flew overhead, honking madly all the while. Some vees were in good shape but others looked very poorly organized.

At times there was quite a bit of flapping about, but it wasn't easy to predict where and to point the camera in the right direction.

This fellow was in a feisty mood indeed.

There were a number of ducks, almost all the ubiquitous mallards, but there was a different one, which you can see under the flapping goose. There is white on its head, bill and near the rear.

Here is another photo. He or she (they?) is swimming with the mallards. I wondered if it was a mutant mallard, but someone identified it as probably an American Widgeon. Whatever its species, it seemed like it was the only one of its kind, which makes me feel a little badly. I wonder how it got mixed in with the mallards, all on its own like this.

While I concentrated on the waterfowl, Sue took some pictures of me. Here I am fiddling with the camera, likely looking at the screen to see what I had just captured. You see the yellowish patch on my hands by the lens? That's my finger tip sticking out through the glove. The glove was made that way. I can uncover my finger tip to work the controls.

And here I am hobbling along, cane on one side, camera on the other. We were about to sit on that bench in the background for awhile, facing the river with our backs to the pond.

You can see the pond behind us in this selfie.

Here is another selfie in which you can see me holding the tripod/stick. While I held the stick, Sue triggered the camera from her watch. The camera then counts down, 3-2-1 and gives us (Sue) the opportunity to get herself reset for the shot.

The tripod/stick is a gift for her birthday, which is coming up on Wednesday. I gave it to her early when we got ourselves into this daily selfie routine. If she is a good girl, just maybe there will be another little gift for her to open on the day.