These are just a very few seconds long and are from last spring near the NWHS pond. A storm was moving in and I sat in the car observing the behavior of the Canada geese. There were several large families and, as the rain began and the wind picked up, they all got off the shore and swam into the center of the pond, and then lined up so that they each – even the young ones – were facing the direction from which the storm was coming.
Different species of birds survive storms in different ways, but these are waterfowl and, absent shelter, the middle of the pond was the safest place to be. Facing the storm protected their feathers. It kept them from getting broken or mangled. I imagine there is an advantage to being able to know what’s coming, too.
We can learn from them, you know. Sometimes we need to get out there with others who know how to weather a storm, face the right direction, wait it out (and it might get rough), and then celebrate survival by…living. Easier said than done, perhaps…but a good lesson, nonetheless.
Gail Lancaster King
(used with permission)
