It was cold enough Monday that the pond at my local marsh froze over. The ice may not have been thick, but it complicated landings for migrating Canada Geese (Branta canadensis).
One goose slid to a stop by lowering its tail, as other geese watched with varying degrees of interest. It has warmed up a bit and we’ve had a lot of rain since Monday, so the ice is almost certainly gone by now, but I suspect that I will see this scene repeated as we move into winter.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I’m thinking that was one suprised goose at finding the water was frozen…add screeching tire sounds..:-)
Great shot..
That’s a fun shot.
Technically it’s not a great shot, but it was definitely fun watching the geese trying to stay upright. Maybe they need ice skates.
Hmm…reminds me of my first winter in a place with a real winter when I slipped and slid on icy pavement before I learned how to walk correctly.
I grew up in New England, so I got used to slippery pavement, but it still catches me by surprise sometimes and I end up looking about as graceful as that goose.
I can’t look at this photo without my mind inserting a brief sound clip from the Three Stooges–“Woop, woop, woop, woop!”
Their feet must get awful cold. I wonder how they can stand it.
I think that Sue from Backyard Biology did a post last year about the physiology behind their ability to withstand the cold, but I can’t remember the details.
Ha ha! What a great shot! Waterfowl are so ungainly when they take off and land. I think it’s hilarious to watch!
I am always amazed at how fast geese and ducks come in for landings and the incredible gyrations they go through to slow down. The ice makes it a whole lot tougher.