Fall in the Air

It was another beautiful evening, cool enough to lengthen our evening walk and head to "Mallard Pond".  We haven't been there for awhile.  In summer it is a quiet spot with little wildlife.  We might spot an occasional flycatcher or flicker but the geese, ducks, raptors and egrets are gone, until last night.

The ducks haven't yet returned but squadron after squadron of noisy geese were seen heading in for the night.  Now they gather together in large groups, seeming to enjoy each others company.  In a few months they will pair off and no longer tolerate the intrusion of other geese,  chasing them off from their territory and their mates.

In the dim light I spotted the snowy egret, returned to its place in the shallows.  It was too far away to see its large, bright yellow feet which it uses to stir up the mud.

Then we spotted a roiling in the water.  What could be causing the wakes, the turbulence. The light was dim and I didn't have my bins then "SPLASH", OK, beaver.  I don't have to see them to recognize them when they slap the water with their tail.

We also saw some year-round residents, a young coyote and the rabbits that supply sustenance to the coyotes tribe.

I look forward to the coming seasons as the birds return and we see a new generations of all the creatures that inhabit the nearby open spaces.