Weekend Birding: Taking A Break
There is a small park near my house that is being restored back to its natural state as a wetland. It has a marshy area, a few small ponds, and a small forested section. It’s only about 20 acres but it’s very diverse. The park district maintains the paths and it’s a nice place for a walk. Plus, it’s only 2 blocks from my house.
On a recent walk I heard a lot of honking, looked up, and saw several large groups of Canada Geese. They landed so fast I was quickly surrounded. They broke into a couple of groups and began marching around.
I suppose they were migrating south and decided to take a break. After eating some grass they all moved over to the small pond.
A few days later I saw a bird tucked into the reeds at the far end of the pond. It was a lone Great Blue Heron. I don’t usually see them this late in the year.
Chicago is on the northern edge of their winter range and the smart ones usually head south. This bird was probably just taking a break from his journey. I turned away for a second to try and get closer and he flew away.
I link up my bird photos on Saturday Snapshot hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.
Under My Apple Tree 
I saw one or two herons here just yesterday. They are here over the summer but I think they go elsewhere for the winter – not sure.
Canadian Geese were considered vermin in my hometown in England when I lived there. 🙂
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A lot of people here consider them vermin too! They’re beautiful creatures but can be very messy and poop all over the paths and athletic fields. I’ve had to hose off my shoes more than a few times after a walk. Not to mention they are very aggressive during when nesting.
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Such great photos
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Fabulous photos, Leslie!
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Wow, those are fabulous. I especially love the marching geese…LOL
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They were moving pretty fast. I was glad they weren’t aiming at me, they can be aggressive when they get annoyed. I think they were just regrouping.
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I love Canada Geese, and I love the photos you took. Herons and egrets are interesting in their differences around the world. I hope you enjoy my bird photos today, as much as I enjoyed yours.
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I always enjoy your photos and the opportunity to see birds that I would never see here. And such colorful ones too!
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How lucky to be able to walk to the wetlands park. We have a marsh preserve very close by, but I have to drive to get there and thus don’t explore as much as I’d like.
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That’s my go-to place when I need a nature fix. The larger preserves are only a short drive away. I feel very fortunate to have a choice of places to go, and many are free.
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I love the picture of the bird in flight!
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I never get very good photos of birds, yours are great!
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Thanks. You need a lot of patience to get birds. The best photos are when they come to you. And sometimes I get lucky when a bird lands in front of me.
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Those geese don’t even leave Ohio any more. I love watching them fly over in a V though. I guess I didn’t realize the heron migrates, but of course it must. Thanks for sharing. Here’s My Saturday Snapshot
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A lot of geese stay here in Illinois too. I know the Herons leave my area. The ponds freeze over so it would be difficult for them to find food, unlike the geese who seem to eat anything.
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We have 2 small ponds in our neighborhood and see a lot of Canada Geese and some herons too. I wish I could take great pictures like yours so I could capture them.
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Birds move so it takes patience and a lot of deleted blurred photos… I’m sure you could do it!
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Awesome photos! Whenever I see geese, I always think of November and the Thanksgiving season, because that was the time of year I would notice the flocks of geese and hear them as they took flight.
Thanks for sharing.
Here’s MY SATURDAY SNAPSHOT and
MY WEBSITE
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Last year on Thanksgiving Day I heard all this honking (even with the windows closed) and when I looked outside there was a huge flock of geese flying by in waves. It was beautiful to see.
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Geese are lovely in flight — and I prefer it if they just keep flying. They are not friendly critters on the ground. That’s a terrific photo of the heron! I see them occasionally on my way to work, but not this time of year. Great pictures, as always.
Here’s my Snapshot
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During nesting season they can be pretty aggressive. These geese didn’t care I was there.
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That first shot is INCREDIBLE. Talk about capturing the moment!
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I love that first pic of “take off” very cool!
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That first photo is a lovely action shot!
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I think Canadian Geese are beautiful and elegant looking with the long black necks…your photos certainly show this!. Years ago I used to see them often because a group of Canadian Geese used to hang around the pond and property where my sister rode her horse …they can be very irritable and also goofy from what I remember. I used to love watching them…thanks for the photos of the canadian geese, they brought back some good memories :o)
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Happy to have provided good geese memories. They are usually peaceful if not friendly… unless it’s nesting season, then they bite.
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Great shots, we have those Canada geese here too, they are very messy.
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We’ve noticed quite a few geese around our lake lately…they must be geese from Chicago!! 🙂
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Oh, so that’s where they went! The ones that are here now must be the real Canadian ones.
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Wow, what gorgeous photos! I can never get close enough here to get a good shot of the herons.
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Great photos.
I’m always happy to hear about new animal sanctuaries and national parks, they are so important for the whole planet.
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Do you use a zoom lens on your camera? Excellent shots!
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They’re all good photos, but the first one is amazing!
Here’s My Photo
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Truly beautiful photos, once again! Have a lovely Thanksgiving.
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Amazing photos! the first one is great.
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Oh how beautiful – and what a perfect shot of the bird in motion! How nice it must have been to stumble across the geese
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I love that second shot. They look like they are on a mission! Thanks for stopping by my blog. :
)
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