Dawn broke cold and misty. At -17C (0F) one would not expect too much activity in the early morning hour. So you can see I was surprised by this large gathering of Canada Geese. There must be a couple hundreds of them.
Nothing has been added to these photos. I quite like the natural sepia look as the sun slowly broke through the mist and heavy clouds.
As I approached nearer, the more insecure ones started to fly away. But there were those who sat tight. Come what may, they enjoyed their hub in the frigid water.
My fingers were frozen stiff and I could feel the intense pain, but I stayed still, seizing the moment. Glad too that they didn’t treat me as an intruder, just another creature more vulnerable to the cold, couldn’t fly or wouldn’t get into the water, totally harmless.
Thanks pals, for the photo op.
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Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. CLICK HERE to see what others have posted.
Photos taken by Arti of Ripple Effects.
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Ripple Effects 
Great shot =)
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Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment.
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Beautiful photos! I can feel the chill just from looking at them! Thanks for sharing…and for visiting my blog.
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Laurel,
Yes, it was quite cold, but worth it. Thanks for coming by the pond.
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Oh brrr…that does look real cold. Great shots and good for you for getting out there in that weather! 🙂
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Ellen,
Come to think of it, I really don’t know why I even ventured out that morning. But glad I did. 😉
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Look at all the geese! SO beautiful!
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Thanks for stopping by, Sheila.
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Nice shots. Hardy creatures those are! Always the Canadians are the only ones left when the pond skins over down here. No ice today though. It’s supposed to get to 75F today. ***this is me ducking for cover***
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Michelle,
We sure live in different worlds… 75 degrees apart. 😉
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Beautiful photos! I like the natural sepia too.
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Debbie
Welcome! Yes, I was quite surprised how well these pics turned out. Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment. Hope to hear from you again.
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Such a beautiful series of shots Arti. The morning toning are so beautiful, and how wonderful to see so many Canada Geese. I can only imagine how exhilerating that all was.
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Thanks, Louise. Yes, it was quite a sight. I went back there yesterday at noon and took more photos. Stay tuned for the next Saturday Snapshot. 😉
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Thanks for crashing the Canada Geese Convention, Arti! What an impressive turnout, even if some birds opted to bolt early.
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LA,
Yes, I’ll make sure I register first the next time. There’s the after party too. 😉
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Absolutely gorgeous. 🙂 A timely reminder that Winter can be pretty resplendent too, albeit in subtler fashion.
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alphawhiskeyfoxtrot,
Winter is a long 3-4 months here, it has to be resplendent to make it worthwhile. 😉 Welcome to the pond and throwing in your two pebbles.
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You’ve answered a question for me, Arti. I have three or four cards I brought back from Iowa when I took Mom’s ashes there for burial. I found them in a local gift shop, and they feature photographs of trees. What I’ve never been able to figure out is whether the photos were processed somehow, because they have a wonderful sepia tone that I’d never seen before.
I hadn’t seen it since, either, until I looked at these photos of yours. The light in your top photo is almost an exact match. The scenes on the cards I bought were taken in an Iowa winter, with plenty of snow, too. So, maybe there’s just something in the combination of winter light and snow that does that.
In any event, the photos are beautiful. And I’m so happy you got to see so many birds!
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Linda,
Glad you do have some intriguing photos in your hands as keepsakes. Yes, I’m very happy these ones bring out the natural sepia effect which my naked eyes couldn’t see. Well, no, I did see the mystical and serene environs there and was mesmerized… albeit I was hoping for a wider range of bird species. Apparently the Canada Geese dominate here. There are Mallards too. I went back there yesterday and took some more photos at around noon time and in a much warmer weather. Coming out next Saturday Snapshot, so stay tuned. 😉
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Poor cold geese, don’t they know they are supposed to fly south for the winter? We’ve got some hanging out here too because people have a tendency feed them. We had temperatures similar to your last week too. It does feel, however, that we are through the worst of it. Or maybe I’m jut being optimistic 🙂
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Stefanie,
You see, this is evidence that they don’t fly south. I’ve been told that before, and now seeing it more and more… hosts of them, or whatever word you use to describe them, colonies? We’ve been having relatively ‘warm’ temp. lately. That frigid morning in the photo was an exception. A groundhog close to home here predicted we’d have an early spring, unlike what the Philly one said.
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I’m not surprised that most of them stayed put. They know you are a bird goddess, that you will not harm them, only exalt them with your beautiful photos. I love the natural color here. There is something almost otherworldly about it. And the birds in flight are gorgeous. You did get quite close, I think.
Something tells me that you will find more than your share of beautiful birds soon enough. I’m glad that today was your day to have this very special experience with the geese.
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Jeanie,
‘Otherwordly’ is right… a bit mythical, esp. with the morning mist. I went back there a few days later when it wasn’t so cold, and the geese were still there, plus many Mallards as well. A haven for birds and waterfowls. I took pictures of a bald eagle too. Will be posting them this coming Saturday Snapshot. Can’t believe it’s Feb. already and soon, Spring will come.
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Beautiful!
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Thanks Denise.
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Me, me, me! I’m afraid of the cold. I can feel the damp chill air. Glad you survived with your fingers intact — these are magical images, Arti.
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