Instead of trying to make the 7-hour drive back home to Houston from Oklahoma in a single day I picked a site close to the state line, located the closest town, and divided the trip in half. I checked into the Days Inn of Paris, Texas on Sunday evening, planning to get an early start in the morning.
It turned out to be a good choice. Exploring this site does not take very long so it's perfect if you're just passing through. Most of the refuge is off-limits. You can only bird from the road driving in or from the small parking area. There is a fenced-in area containing feeders in front of the lot, signs on either side advising restricted access beyond, and someone's front yard in the rear. (It is not a good idea to trespass in Texas.)
At first I was disappointed because there were no geese inside the fence. Not even one. Then I heard honking. They were in the fields beyond the signs. Bring your zoom lens and binoculars.
Unlike the domestic geese I've seen in the city parks, these do not approach begging for food. (I hate those geese. They peck me if I don't feed them!)
These were fun to watch. The pairs stuck close together honking, eating, running, or just standing in unison.
All the geese are gone by late May, so visit in winter.
Birds seen this visit: Canada Goose, Red-winged Blackbird, Savannah Sparrow.
22 comments:
ha...we used to go to a park in MD where they would chase you up on the tables...glad these are a bit more tame...smiles.
Some of my favorite memories are from the Gaddis Goose farm in NC. Funny that. I loved to see them land in the water.
Canadians in Texas! True snowbirds! :)
Very nice shots!
Glad you had your zoom lens to capture this amazing pair of Canadian Geese Jen- and now you can add Paris to the places you've visited ~:)
Theres some great photos in there, great work and a funny perspective on Texas.
Hi Jen, It was so lovely to see you pop up on my blog again.
Great post with some wonderful photos, I can't help but ponder on what the geese in that last shot were saying to each other.
What beautiful geese!! I love the sound of them as they're flying.
awesome! wish we'd get some landing here, but i think our pond is too small to interest them. :)
I’ve been watching geese too, not in vast quantities, but small group who overwinter here. Soon everybody will go back home to the frozen north.
I don’t have a good camera, my pictures wouldn’t be as clear as yours.
We get some Canada geese at our little neighborhood duck pond every year. Some of them have become domesticated and stay through the summer, but most are migrants.
What are you doing with all the magnificent pictures you're taking? Do you enjoy them again and again, show them to friends on a slide show, or do they get stored away with a guess as to when they will be seen again.
I really like how bold and beautiful the geese are in your photos.
i have never met a goose that would not chase me for food!!
it's so fun to watch and enjoy their different habits!!
Excelentes fotografias de belos Gansos....
Cumprimentos
Wonderful geese shots! Glad you found the perfect halfway place to stop and do some birding on your trip. Yes, we lived in Texas for five years (the last time...we'd lived there before as well) and the fact that every single area was behind a fence and you had to pay to get in (because as you say, you DON'T trespass in Texas!) was annoying. There are plenty of free places to hike and bird and just enjoy nature here as well as in Virginia and Alabama, our other "home" states. Texas has a lot of good, but that just isn't one of the good things.
Geese can be quite aggressive if they are used to being fed. We have Canada geese here all year...but most people don't realize they are not the same ones. Our summer geese fly south. The geese we have her in winter are from the Arctic.
Saw a whole ton of those fly over our neighbor the other day. Love this time of year.
I gave you a Shout-Out on my blog today. :)
Neat shot, we've got these same geese in California...they're very smart, following the freeways when they fly (no joke) :)
Hi Jen,
Fantastic geese photos! I'm glad you were able to capture these beauties.
I assume they're gone by May, they come up here where there are so many of them that they drive us nuts! I liked them when I would only see a few
Love the geese shots. They seem to stay here year round!
Love your obsession ! Great captures !
Happy to find your beautiful blog.
Hope you can visit mine and maybe follow back if you like
http://chezdoronette.blogspot.com/
I would NEVER go back to days inn in Paris Texas
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