The Call of the Wild

Spring has sprung, more or less. And the birds were very lively on one of our local ponds on this morning. The ice has melted, and quite a few pairs of Canada geese have moved in, filling the air with their loud Harnk-Harnk! sounds.

There was a great deal of interaction among the group. Lots of physical activity, plus a whole lot of honking going on. Birds pursued other birds around the pond. In some cases, it was difficult to tell whether various individuals were fighting or mating. Maybe some of both.

Perhaps the coolest thing about it was that since it was very cold again (about 15 degrees F, or -9 C), every time a goose honked, a little puff of condensation came out of its mouth and floated away on the breeze like smoke. The call of the wild made visible!

The song is Barbra Streisand's Run Wild, from Guilty, her marvelous 1980 collaborative album with Barry Gibb, of the Bee Gees. The whole thing is wonderful and you can listen to it in its entirety here.

P.S. If you enjoyed this photo, you just might also like this one, which was taken on the very same pond almost exactly two years prior.
Sunrise on an Enchanted Pond