BATH DAY

It rained constantly yesterday so today was bath day at the local pond. The geese were busy diving, splashing and flapping their wings, then carefully preening each feather. You can tell there was lots of activity by the spare feathers floating on the water - it was quite a sight! Prior to the rain, the water in the pond was so low and dirty that I’m sure they were taking advantage of the cleaner water after day-long showers. It was interesting to see the sheer size of their wings when not folded against the body, and also strange to see them standing upright instead of the body being the usual more parallel to the ground. The feathers on the right wing show gorgeous construction, especially in ‘LARGE’.

Later today three cardinals flew right past me in my backyard while I was experimenting with shots of the goldfinch on the feeder. I was so excited to see them! One was definitely a dark red male and the other two were less colorful females - I’m guessing it was dad, mom & teen daughter. They didn’t stay, but I was able to snap a shot of the young cardinal in the tree. (She’s posted on Flickr.) If I hadn’t already prepared the bathing goose for today’s blip, the young female cardinal would have been wonderful! Oh well – maybe they’ll be back another day - maybe to use the feeder. One can hope!