Saturday Stroll

Again, I set out hoping to get pictures of catbirds, but also I was hoping to encounter a mocking bird. I'd seen one earlier in the day when I was taking my grandson for a walk in his stroller. I decided it was unwise to take my camera on that walk for fear I might forget my grandson and either leave him behind somewhere or in some other way put him in jeopardy through lack of attention (a famous family story concerns my Aunty Jean letting go of my pram and having to chase it down a hill; I didn't want to be the subject of a similar story).

I walked over to the duckpond. No sign of a mocker, but just as I approached the pond I encountered a small group of catbirds, but they were high up above my head and didn't cooperate. I did, however, get this shot of a house sparrow in the street.


At this point, another longer-standing desire set-in. After nine years, I still don't have even a half-way decent shot of a kingfisher. I had once seen one on a particular branch of a tree at the duckpond, so I positioned myself so that I could get the shot if a bird were to return and patiently waited for nearly half and hour. Nothing! No kingfisher, no sandpipers, no ducks, no geese, nothing. Just the occasional starling flying from one bank to the other.

So, I gave up and made my way over to the fireman's pond. And there I was rewarded with this shot of a cowbird.


The cowbird flew off and a Canada Goose appeared.


And it was followed by two goslings! First I've seen this year:


I was pleased with this close-up of one of the goslings:


Finally, I attempted to get a family portrait, but it was hard to get all four geese looking at the camera (or even vaguely in my direction) at the same time:


Leaving the geese to their own affairs, I turned to come back home and there was a grackle enjoying the grass on the other side of the road: