Goose bath

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Goose bath

March 13, 2015 by Mike Powell

The Canada Geese at my local marsh seemed thrilled that the ice on the ponds had finally melted and they splashed about happily in what looked to be a group bathing session. Their exuberance and excited splashing reminded me of a children’s pool party. Previously I had seen geese dip their heads underwater to get wet, but these geese took it another step and appeared to be doing complete flips underwater. There was so much activity that it was virtually impossible to isolate and capture the action in a still shot.

Eventually they needed to dry off and I got this shot as one Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) rose up out of the water and vigorously flapped its wings. There is something about the goose’s pose that I really like, with the curved wings almost mirroring the curved neck.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Branta canadensis, Canada Goose, Canon 50D, goose, Huntley Meadows Park, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto | 6 Comments

6 Responses

on March 13, 2015 at 6:50 am | Reply Laura (PA Pict)

Brilliant shot!
on March 13, 2015 at 8:40 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

They are big enough birds to really demand attention. I haven’t seen any here yet but if you’re seeing them it shouldn’t be long.
on March 13, 2015 at 3:52 pm | Reply Birder's Journey

They can look very graceful, can’t they!? Wonderful capture of this moment, Mike.
on March 15, 2015 at 8:17 pm | Reply Ginny48

Beautiful shot of an unlikely Canada Goose pose!
on March 17, 2015 at 5:09 am | Reply Lucy

I love Canadian Geese. It’s beautiful to watch them fly!
- on March 18, 2015 at 5:45 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Lucy. I never tire of watching them fly in and out of the marsh where I spend a lot of my time.