Two Geese on a Golden Pond

It's been a great couple of days for spotting birds!

Friday morning, the mist was rising, and Mount Nittany called to me. I pulled my car over at a spot just two minutes from where I work, and got out to take a snapshot of one of central Pennsylvania's most famous mountains.

But I heard someone loud singing behind me. On the fence rail, a red-winged blackbird was flashing his red epaulets and singing his heart out, a tune that went something like this:

"Come live with me and be my Love,
And we will all the pleasures prove
That hills and valleys, dale and field,
And all the craggy mountains yield.

There will we sit upon the rocks
And see the shepherds feed their flocks,
By shallow rivers, to whose falls
Melodious birds sing madrigals."

(Christopher Marlowe - The Passionate Shepherd to His Love)

And on the golden pond behind him, a whole flock of Canada geese were swimming in various formations, honking to beat the band. To call it melodious might have been a stretch, but it was certainly a raucous and unexpected bird symphony on a beautiful early spring morning!

The shots of Mount Nittany were forgettable, by the way; I'll get you a better one another day. :-) For now, enjoy the birds . . .


P.S. Unsolicited movie recommendation: If you like birds, you might enjoy the movie Fly Away Home, which is one of my favorites. I watched it again this week. It's the story of a little girl whose dad teaches her to fly an ultralight aircraft, so she can lead a flock of Canada geese to a winter nesting area in the southern U.S. Enchanting story all around, excellent acting by the lovely young Anna Paquin, an Isham score, and this wonderful song by Mary Chapin Carpenter, 10,000 Miles. For all of us who dream of flying . . .