World Bird Wednesday XI

                   We Won't Get Fooled Again!

      Suzanne and I were out at the local ponds this weekend looking for eagles and we did get a few really good looks but I was all thumbs with the camera and blew every chance. Humble pie was on the menu yet it is my belief that if you make the effort to go out into the world, nature will show you something special if you keep your eyes peeled and stay sharp. The hour was getting late and we were pulling away when I spotted a strange looking bird on the water. "Ah!" I thought, "Here is nature, and just in time." Suz waited patiently while I sprinted down the hill knee deep in snow to get a little closer. This time I didn't foul up the camera settings and we retreated to home for an early dinner. As the salmon baked away I checked out the days images and my excitement grew. I was sure one of my mystery birds was a Snow goose, a first for us, but that wasn't all. A second mystery bird was captured in the frame. I tried to remain calm. "I think we have a White Fronted Goose!" I finally exclaimed.
  "That's nice Dear," came the response from the other room. I am used to being patronised and the lash barely stings anymore. Already I was mentally preparing my WBW story and I wondered if I should contact Cornell University's Birding researchers. I tried to explain to Suzanne the significance of what we had experienced that day. "Take a little break Honey, dinners ready!" came her reply.
    Later that night as Suzanne slept next to me I found the fateful article that quickly let the air out of my bird watching balloon. And I quote, "Whenever I hear about a report of a Greater White-fronted Goose in upstate New York, I always want to hear a few details to assure that the observer (especially a novice observer) did not confuse a domestic goose. If you just look in most field guides and try to match plumage patterns, the only option for the following geese are White-fronted Goose. But they're not!"
     I learned much. To my sorrow the Snow Goose and the White-fronted Goose I now knew were impostors, domesticated farm animals escaped into the wild and not sojourners from the arctic. I turned off the laptop and looked over at the snuggled form next to me and said softly so as not to wake her, "They're domestic."

   A little voice came from under the covers, "So are we Honey, so are we."


            Now it's time for World Bird Wednesday XI!
 
This is the home of World Bird Wednesday. A place for bird photographers from around the world to gather and share their photographs and experiences as they pursue Natures most diverse and beautiful treasurers, the birds. The Blogosphere connects like minded people from around our planet like no other technology can do. World Bird Wednesday will be open for posting at 12 noon Tuesday EST North America through noon on Thursday.


You are invited to link your blog with other bird photographers in a weekly celebration of these most diverse and intriguing of Earth's residents, the BIRDS

                                                      

#1. Simply copy the above picture onto your W.B.W. blog entry. It contains a link for your readers to share in WBW. Or you can copy this link on to your blog page to share W.B.W. http://pineriverreview.blogspot.com/

#2. Come to The Pine River Review on Tuesday Noon EST through Thursday Noon and submit your blog entry with Linky.

#3. Check back in during the course of the next day and explore these excellent photoblogs!

      YOU don't have to be a Bird Watcher to join in--just enjoy sharing what you bring back from your    explorations and adventures into nature.




 
      The thumbnails below are links to our contributors blogs where you can view their beautiful posts. The idea of a meme is that you will visit each others blogs and perhaps leave a comment to encourage your compadres!


                 
                                                       Come on it's your turn!