Growing Geese

Today’s Ragtag Daily Prompt is Pond. One of my favorite places visited on my training runs and rides is Harper Lake. Its really a pond, given that the trail around it is just under a mile. I enjoy being up there in all seasons. Its a busy place, with many people out and about, walking, biking, and fishing. Occasionally I’ll see a kayak or canoe, and a few times I’ve happened upon a regatta of radio controlled sailboats. No swimming for people, as its part of the city’s water supply.

The no swimming doesn’t apply to the birds, of course. Many geese and a few ducks are regulars on the lake. This spring, I’ve enjoyed watching a family of geese. I saw them when they were quite young goslings, then a few weeks ago, they were out on the water swimming as a family group (sadly, I was without my phone that day), and again this week, as they were having breakfast in the grass. I’m amazed at how they’ve grown. Now they have the feathers and coloring of an adult, and are about three quarter size, in just 6 weeks time.

Intellectually, I’m aware of the need for rapid growth and maturing so that they will be ready for the rigors of migration come fall, and at the same time, its quite stunning to see how rapidly they change. Here they are on May 8, May 27, and June 19:

Harper Lake is a small lake and natural space in town and it provides space for wildlife and for the humans who visit to again be a part of the natural world. A small treasure!