In one of my first posts about being a bicycle commuter, I mentioned that I had seen a heron on my way to work one morning. I think probably most of you thought I was lying. Okay. Well, if not lying, then employing poetic license or hyperbole or something that amounts to me lying about the bird. As proof that I’m a truth-teller, he was back this week. And I just happened to have the camera with me. So, ta da!
He’s in the middle of the frame, just below the darkest of the trees. Spot him? Click on it so it’s bigger. See? Not a liar. Just lucky.
And before you think in utopia must we live, this is what the other end of the “lake” looks like. Ugly and kind of gross, huh? Stupid Canada geese breeding and loosing all their down.
I didn’t dare take a picture of what the bicycle path looks like next to this part of the lake. Some of you might be having a snack and I wouldn’t want to be responsible for the automatic reflex that would result. Let me just say that there’s only one thing worse than riding through a bunch of Canada goose poop, flinging all the junk up behind my wheels onto my legs and paniers: thinking you’re riding through Canada goose poop and having a specimen suddenly come alive and fly at you because it’s actually a Canada-goose-poop-looking cicada. Aaaugh!
Magrilless 
Back when we were in the DC area, I used to ride my bike along the river. After the young geese hatch they would waddle along with the adults on the grass and on the bike path. Geese are pretty dumb but most of the time they do get out of bicycle’s way and at other times the bicycles can dodge them.Well early one morning; one that was about the size of a guinea got confused as I was ridding by and waddled the wrong way. The young one ended up on the left of the trail and the flock ended up on the right. No problem they were all out of the way, in fact clear of the bike trail.Except, one of the adults decided to attack the back wheel of the bike. Ever imagine what a goose looks like grabbing hold of a moving bike spoke?Made the adult real mad and it went running off to the river with lots of squawking. It didn’t seem hurt though.
Yummy!
Yeesh. Give the birds a break. They can’t collect their down like extra pop cans and send it into Bed, Bath, and Beyond for a store credit. At least it’s natural biodegradable yuck. The poo flickin’ part I’m with you on though. Ew.
True “Geese” story: picture this…Christmas time (c. 1976) and my thesis advisor Dr. Beth is sharing a ‘how was your Christmas story” with us, students and friends. Everyone was poor then, even Dr. Beth – for heavens sake, she taught cell biology so of course she was poor. Well, Beth went home to Michigan that Xmas, with no real money but quite capable, clever and very!!!imaginative. Truthfully, once you knew her, you’d consider Beth a women of the land. Sooooooooo it’s Christmas, cold, no money, the big sit-down dinner is looking thin. Beth – as the story goes – finds herself walking along a frozen Michigan lake with, say, thousands of annoying, quacking geece. HELLO, it was just too much to resist. One grab, a good rotation of the wrist, lose a few feathers and she brought home Christmas dinner. And that folks is a true story. She was such a great committee advisor.