Thursday, March 29, 2012

Honk!

Chinese  Goose(domestic)
It's interesting how one area attracts several kinds of birds.  Today I stroll on the dirty side and head to Kennedy park.  In fact, while cropping my photos, I noticed water bottles and other trash items around the area.  I was in search of the Offspray .....I mean the Osprey.  Apparently this rare bird in our area has been hanging around this manmade lake for some time.
Graylag Goose shaking it up a bit:)
I drove into the parking lot and saw lots of people having dinner at the various picnic tables.  There was also some fishing going on....I like to call it the lake of make believe dreams.  It's all artificial but you might go just to think you live in a water area.  You'll see boaters on this small "pond" and people hoping to make a catch.  The "lake" is stocked:)
It's not one of my favorite places to visit and to be honest, it has been some time since I last visited.....we're talking years here. What is shocking was that there were different birds here than in other spots around Tucson which is a testiment to us all that each area is special and unique.  Mess with that micro habitat and they're gone. On a post awhile back, I wrote about Woodpeckers and how I saw many of them in one day.  Well the same thing happened to me today again....but this time with geese!!  I had NO idea that geese even stopped over here. I counted 4 different geese in the area.  FOUR! Two I've never seen before.
The geese controlled the pond....I mean lake.....and were very territorial.  The ducks followed them wherever they went. There was the Greylag, Canadian, Chinese, and something else.....one of each except the Greylags in which there were 3.  All were domestic. But not the Canadian.

I had heard the unmistakeable "HONK HONK!" and traced the sources.
I was given the heads up by another birder that some of them have cross bred.  Interesting.

So while I didn't find the Osprey, I did see several birds to add to my list for the year.

I think Geese are fascinating....the different colors and behavior patterns make them interesting to watch.  In the upcoming weeks, I have some very special photo shoots that will focus on Birds of Prey.  Before each post is released at midnight, I go over my write for the next day to make sure it's all ready to go without spelling errors.  Sometimes I miss a word or two:)  But it's always a treat to revisit my experiences at the various places.  This was a fun shoot at "the lake" in Kennedy Park:)
Greylag Goose

15 comments:

  1. I can easily understand why a man's made lake is not a destination of satisfaction for you. But how fun that can be for kids or even adults to be able to fish for the first time! There is more than one around Phoenix but as you said: one single mess and all life disappears... :-((

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  2. Quite a busy pond...i mean lake! :)
    We have a group of Canada geese around at the moment and they are so noisy. I tried to move closer to take a photo but was on my guard as they can be quite aggressive if they feel threatened and i couldn't contemplate the idea of running away with 100 angry geese chasing me!:)

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  3. Honk! yes they are fascinating, and i haven's seen them yet in natural habitat like that, only as pets. I love the stance of the 3rd to the last, what a very beautiful capture. Happy weekend Kreesh!

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  4. Great shot and closeups of the geese. Sorry you missed the Osprey. I was wondering what the dirty side was, it is a shame that so many people litter. I hope you have a great day.

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    1. Well the dirty side is thanks to the human population who like to thrown water bottles, ziploc bags and other trash onto the ground. But it's only at this place that this misterious Osprey has been spotted besides the baseball field. I believe I've spotted it while driving in a conjested area and there is no way I can park the car and get my camera gear out in time without getting killed. But it's around 11 Am to noon that it has been reported near the lake.

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  5. What a wonderful variety of geese you found on your visit to Kennedy Park. Man made lakes and ponds make great habitats for native and migrating wildlife.
    Glad you enjoyed your visit, I sure did. My thanks for sharing.
    Cheers :)

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  6. Great series of wonderful photos!
    Thanks for sharing these beautiful geese.
    Have a great day.
    Mette

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  7. Well, you didn't catch the Osprey, but, you did catch a good amount of waterfowl. The Chinese Goose is domestic bird, it's from the swan and a goose.

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    1. Bob, I just learned something new:) I had NO idea that swan and geese could "intermingle". Fascinating world. And thank you for that tidbit.

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  8. Some lovely geese pictures there Chris. Hope you catch up with the Osprey sometime soon.

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  9. Laughing at "Offspray"...very funny!

    Enjoyed seeing the different geese. Love the one with it's wings spread!

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  10. a nice surprise for you - and thanks for sharing them with us. :)

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  11. Even urban "lakes" can offer a respite and wildlife sightings. Got some good shots here after cropping out the trash.

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  12. Thanks for these ducks and geese, the greylag is quite beautiful.

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