It's snowing geese...

No, this isn't a great ph0to, and it doesn't even really begin to do justice to the sheer number of snow geese we saw today...but it will always remind me of the sight and sound and magic of the day. A birder friend asked if I wanted to go down to Merrill Creek Reservoir today, where 10,000 snow geese were reported to be hanging out. A resounding YES from me!

Let me set the stage ... it was 13 degrees (Fahrenheit) with a light wind coming off the water. We hiked through probably a mile of powdery snow, lugging binoculars and big lenses. It was worth every second of chilly buns and runny noses for the sight of all these glorious snow geese. And, we also saw eagles, robins, pileated woodpeckers, loads of ducks (which I'm still trying to ID), sparrows, juncos and a deer.

The geese were far out in the reservoir, and occasionally thousands of them would just lift off the water (no doubt prompted by the eagles that were hunting in the area) which is what I tried to capture here. The noise was amazing and the sight ... well, unforgettable. In my mind, there is something a little mystical and magical about snow geese.

I took nearly 200 shots, and posted 4 on Flickr (along with a grackle and cardinal) starting HERE if you'd like to take a peek..

Thank you for sending my handsome cardinal to the spotlight, where he is still perched. This afternoon when I got home, there were 3 male cardinals and two females in the yard, looking glorious as usual.

Are you ready for Monday?

Debbi