“I am so grateful to be here on this awesome planet with its diverse life – everything we need to not just survive but to thrive. I am excited to continually learn more about it, and always curious to see what is going to come up next.”
― Jay Woodman

While photographing the Lake Ontario shore line recently, one of the thousands of Canada Geese floating offshore decided to give me a closer look. Most of the geese tend to be fairly tame, being in close proximity with humans in this area.

People and geese tend to occupy the same spaces, along the shore, in parks, and open fields. It becomes a bit of a problem when the geese get dependant on humans, who provide them food and the opportunity for food. In some parks, the geese don’t even migrate south anymore, since they have all they need. That becomes an even bigger problem when the temperatures drop, which has been fairly infrequent her in the past few years. But, deep drops in temperature can freeze even large bodies of water like Lake Ontario. We’ve had some mild winters, but extended cold spells are a game changer, sometimes leaving the geese without the open water they need.

In any case, this one wanted to get a closer look at me. I tend not to photograph the Canada Geese much, primarily because they are so commonplace around here. This one made me look again. As it emerged from the frigid waters, small drops of water glistened on its breast feathers, like small jewels in the late afternoon sun, and it posed so nicely for me, I simply could not resist the opportunity.

There’s also the small pile of melting snow to the left, a reminder that winter is not quite finished with us here.

Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 70mm
1/320 sec, f/10.0, ISO 200

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http://www.edlehming.com