The ferry route from Quadra Island to Vancouver Island can get quite sloppy during tide change. No problem for the ferry, but I sure wouldn’t have wanted to be out there in a small boat.
Heading home from the quilting retreat, I was surprised to see more and more snow, the farther south I got.
When I arrived in Comox, the field near the estuary was covered in snow … and geese. I counted about 230 geese in this field. I pulled over and quickly snapped a few pictures without even getting out of the truck. Sorry they are blurry. When taking pictures, “Hurry makes blurry.”
I noticed as I drove away, that there were a few trumpeter swans with the Canada geese, but the photo doesn’t show them, as they were at the far end of the flock. But there were several other geese among the Canadas, too.
Do you see the white blobs in the front of the photo?
Five snow geese were foraging for food along with the Canada geese. They didn’t seem to mind each other. All were concentrating on digging under the snow for grass roots. Their usual dinner plate, the grain field, was mostly covered with snow, and they needed to find something to keep up their strength in this cold weather.
This photo is especially blurry but it shows how desperately the geese are foraging, searching under the snow to get at the grass and roots for any nourishment they can find. Only the goose in the front of the photo is not feeding at the moment, but she probably had to stop to warm up her bill after having it in the icy ground for so long. Hard times for the animals.
That chop on the water doesn’t look too pleasant. Amazing how the birds can survive in even the worst weather.
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When the cold weather first moved in a couple of weeks ago, we wondered how the hummingbird fared that we had seen a few days earlier. This morning when I refilled the birdfeeder for the songbirds, they were anxious for me to leave so they could get at the food. They’re all hungry and cold.
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I concentrate on keeping my feeders filled too when it’s this cold.
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That’s good. They need all the help they can get at this time of the year.
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You do wonder how the winter residents find enough to eat. I know a lot of ducks and smaller birds at our local reserve depend on people to supplement their diet.
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Waterfowl often go into the estuaries (salt water) when everything else is frozen, but if there is only fresh water around and it’s frozen, I can see them needing a handout. Definitely the smaller birds happily accept help.
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We are having some snow too, Anneli, after a fairly dry winter. Beautiful photos of the waves and the geese. Spring will be here soon with plenty to forage.
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We’re almost through the worst of it, and I’m glad.
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Yes, hard times during winter for all animals and people too. I do what I can with feeding the birds that stay here over the winter and they are thanking me by looking very round and happy. Hope spring comes soon for all of us!
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Yes, the sooner the better. I’m glad you are feeding the birds too.
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The water was certainly high and seemed dangerous, Anneli! I am glad you are home safe and sound. I felt bad for the geese, I do all the time wonder if I would mind lying in snow, paddling my webbed feet through icy waters to dunk my head under to get a fish! Wow, we are so blessed to be human, (even though we tend to be mean and ugly, in our dispositions.) I need to go see your quilting posts!! 🙂 ❤
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It’s a narrow passage there. That’s why the tide runs so fast and sometimes when the wind blows one way and the tide goes the other, it can be quite choppy there. But as pertains to the geese, I think they are just one more species that struggles to get through the winter. I wouldn’t want their life.
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Great pics and yet another reason to not like winter.
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Once the temperature dropped, I didn’t need much more of a reason.
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The water looks quite ominous, Anneli. We’re having unusually high temperatures…close to 80 degrees today.
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80?!!!! Seriously? Could you send us a little bit of that heat, please?
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I’ll try…first thing tomorrow! 🙂
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Thank you. I think it’s already working. We got a rain and wind storm that is taking the snow away. It’s a start.
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I love the thought of the frozen beak on one of the geese. A sensitive perspective I never would have imagined. Beautiful post.
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I’ve often wondered if birds and other animals (like cows) get cold feet when they stand on snowy fields or in icy water without boots on.
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Now you’ve got me thinking that way, too. Every time I see those animals, I’ll look at them through different eyes. 🙂
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When we were kids, we could say how pretty the snow is but now I always end up thinking how hard it is for the animals. I still see the beauty in nature, but I see the other side too.
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I guess that’s the hard part about growing up. 🙂
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Yup! Reality check!
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Beautiful photography thank you
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Thanks for visiting.
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