I Like Pigeons Because Nobody Else Does

I went to Middle Creek today hoping there would be more geese than there were two weeks ago. I found the parking lot almost full and a long line of kids walking back to Willow Point. Ugh. People. And lots of them. Should I go? Fight the crowd? What the hell, I thought, I didn’t drive all the way up here for nothing.  I opened the car door and the air exploded with the sounds of thousands upon thousands of snow geese. I hurried the half mile to the viewing area and saw that well over 10,000 birds had amassed. This is truly something everyone should see:

That’s not even nearly all that were there. I saw a man among the crowd with a 400mm lens and we began to talk. He must have seen the thousand-mile-stare I’d affixed on his lens, or the drool coming out my mouth…or maybe he thought he was about to be tackled, because he so kindly offered me use of it for a short while.  I was able to get these shots with it:

Unfortunately for Ted, one portion of the enormous flock took flight while I had the lens.

Ted, sorry for screwing you out of that shot, but just know that you made my day with your generosity! Thanks again!

More and more birds arrived:

I imagine that there will be many more later in the week. I’m hoping to get out there one last time before they take off for the arctic. Middle Creek management doesn’t allow anyone off of trails and they’re very specific about the places they allow visitors. That’s an inconvenience for people like me looking to take pictures but it benefits the birds which is all that matters.