Several hundred Canadas have been lowing in the front yard for the last few weeks.  During that time they adjusted to our presence and became fairly tame.  They were often as close as 50 ft and almost ignored us if we went about our business.  However, they never abandoned a consistent attention to security.  There were always a minimum of three "Sentry Geese".  They chose the most strategic points to protect.  Sentries do not eat and do not lower their heads.  They stand erect and survey their area of responsibility.  They stand with their backs to the group, and regularly declare the area off limits.  Guard duty was shared by the larger of the birds in the flock. We assumed they were males.  Changing of the guard was usually accompanied by ceremonial honking and squawking.  Now that the ice has melted, they are back on the water, and we discovered how much we enjoyed their visit. 

Another "ice time" observation was that eagles do not eat the head,tail or skeleton of their fish.  The gulls get to fight and fuss with the remains.   When they eat bird they only eat the breast and entrails, again, the remains to the gulls.  The river becomes an arena stage when frozen.

We have never observed Canadas or any other species with such ease until moving here.  It is a true luxury to be living in the habitat.  We continue to be amazed by how much we see by just sitting still.
    
John Staples