Ramble with Storm: Imposing natural order & the crush of Canada geese

Mulling things on my morning ramble with Storm, the family’s mixed Lab.

One of those mornings–cold and crisp as a winter one or a fresh fall apple–where wildlife was not stirring.

I even made a note to remember the northern flicker that flew off the old wooden bleachers as we started the extended ramble.

Northern flicker for a northern morning.

Let me pull back on that no wildlife. There was plenty of racket from Canada geese on the lake to the west. Then two flew out low to feed. Then another small bunch.

As we came off the extended portion of the ramble, four geese quietly sat near the west shore of the north old clay pit. As did two ducks I could not ID.

Then I noticed many more geese in pairs, threes and fours tucked along the northern shorelines of the north pit.

As we stood on the bridge over the neckdown between the two old pits, we watched something like three dozen came geese come off the picked field to the north, then cup up and land just to left of us.

Quite an imposing sight.

Lord knows I love to have theories to impose some order on the natural world or at least impose order on my understanding of the natural world.

My guess is with the rains over the past several days–1.5 inches on Thursday and another .5 inches on Saturday–farmers were slowed in how they handled the fields.

Because of the dry September, many farmers were picking corn, then immediately discing the fields under.

With the rain, I suspect that farmers held off on the discing, so more waste corn should be available. And whatever telegraph system works for Canada geese must have sent word to the suburban and urban geese to hits the cornfields to the west and south.

The hedge apples on the east side of the south pit were down to two. I suspect kids got to them yesterday–Sundays are the big kids day at the town pond. I hope they had fun, maybe did some hedge apple bowling.

Nothing moving in town. Might have had something to do with the 46 degrees on the bank thermometer. Coupled with the west wind, it was cold, I am guessing a wind chill around 30 or 35.

Fall.

Yes, I am grumbling slightly.