Looking for Ducks

The pond is long and narrow, my absolute favorite place to spend time photographing birds that spend time around water: ducks, herons and egrets, kingfishers, tree swallows, several species of blackbirds and osprey. It’s my favorite because its very narrowness means that birds on the far shore are within range for good photos and the sun is at my back.

For years the pond was used by beavers although they didn’t build the long dam that backed up the water. The dam is actually an old road and all the beavers had to do was plug the culvert carrying the water beneath the road – not much effort for a significant return. Across the old road is a larger pond where the beavers had their lodge – at least they did until a trapper caught the two adults and their two kits several years ago. Now the ponds are beaver-less and some of the ponds’ spirit is gone.

On a spring morning I walked to the pond in anticipation of photographing ducks. On the way I passed another pond where there was a pair of Canada geese and a lone pair of green-winged teal, both too far away for good photos –

As I got to my favorite pond there were no ducks to be seen, only a pair of Canada geese standing on a fallen tree –

They both set up a great clamor, especially the gander who was defending his pond. They left their perch and proceeded to swim to the pond's far end –

The honking continued with nary a pause until a red-tailed hawk soared past –

As the hawk passed from view the goose’s clamor resumed. Usually after about 15 minutes, and sometimes less, geese lose interest in a camouflaged me. But not this time, the gander honked and honked and honked. After somewhat more than a half hour, no ducks having arrived, it was time to leave and let the geese relax.

When I got up and turned around, what did I see but an immature bald eagle in a dead tree that stands in the pond across the road. From the random patches of white in the its plumage it was clear that the eagle was about two and a half years old –

So it wasn’t me that kept the gander agitated, it was the eagle that had come in behind me and had remained unseen in its tree – unseen by me, but not by the goose.