Get Your Geese in a Row
Get Your Geese in a Row
“Getting your geese in a row. On Chartiers Creek in Carnegie.”
I had a meeting in Carnegie and walked to and fro. On the way back, about 2:00 in the afternoon with partly cloudy skies overhead. As I approached the bridge I could see geese in the water, coming out from under the bridge, first a little group, then single and evenly spaced almost in a perfect line. I got as many as my camera could get, and this time was happy for the focal distance in my smartphone as the line looks like it goes on into infinity. I used the “blue wash” filter and like the rainbow effect it put on the surface of the water.
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All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop or Fine Art America profile to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit “purchasing” for availability and terms.
Moving Along
Geese 1
The Canada geese took their daily tour of the creek around the bridge. Though I was caught with a very overcast day and only my smartphone for a camera which would make the photos dark with saturated shadows and likely a little soft, I photographed away. I can always do something with them using filters and so I did.
The goslings are getting pretty big—just a month ago they took their first swimming lesson—but still keeping close to mom and dad and the side of the creek. I liked the photos of them emerging into the light and the interesting patterns made by reflections and shadows.
Geese 2
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All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop or Fine Art America profile to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit “purchasing” for availability and terms.
When We Courted At Evening
He waits.
I remember when we courted, when I would sneak down to the tracks by the creek right after dinner, just around the bend from where my parents were settling down for the night, and wait for you.
She arrives.
My heart would skip a beat when I saw you there, waiting for me, I almost flew to your side but thought I should be careful, not knowing you all that well, yet each time I saw your silhouette my love was stronger and I knew you were the one.
They meet.
And what silly things did we do but talk about the weather, and what we’d done that day, and what our siblings were doing, and circle around each other and peck at the gravel as if the world hadn’t suddenly stopped turning because we were together.
Talking.
Just a few minutes, we never wanted to draw attention, but when I saw the shadows creeping farther and farther across the tracks I knew I had to start back for home to be back by dusk.
Into infinity.
Who would think, all these years and all these children, and I still carry these memories of you walking to see me in the warm evening light.
Just being together.
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Five Sentence Fiction: Memories
I took this series of photos walking on Main Street one spring evening recently, where the tracks cross the street and run along the creek where I walk nearly every day, and yet at the right angle they look completely isolated from civilization. I saw the one goose, then a female came to meet him—at a distance I can only tell them from one another by size when male and female are side by side—and they looked and acted so much like a couple of awkward teenagers. I used my 70-300mm zoom lens so I could focus on them and give a little blur to the surroundings; unfortunately in the light it was difficult to see if I was focusing on the geese and in some photos I was focusing on the tracks just in front of them. No matter, I saw a story right away and knew I could even use those photos. The evening light gave the scene an antique look. Then I waited for the keyword that would work for them.
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All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop or Fine Art America profile to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit “purchasing” for availability and terms.
Swimming Lessons
In a line.
Canada goose mother and father at front and back of a line of six new goslings learning to navigate the creek this morning.
I dropped my car off to be inspected this morning then walked through town to the post office to mail a few packages. There had been fog and while I was hoping for a nice fog image I was out of luck, and worst the fog subdued all the animals along the creek. But on my way back the fog had thinned and the day brightened so I spent nearly an hour following a family of Canada geese as they gracefully navigated a section of Chartiers Creek.
Safely crossing the street.
They began swimming with the current along the bank about 100 yards from where their nests are, then turned around and began paddling against the current.
Paddling in shallow water.
Every 20 feet or so they would pull up to the bank and the little ones would get out and walk around a bit and peck on things while vigilant parents kept watch.
A little break on land.
Even while paddling the parents constantly kept an eye on me and all else.
Alert.
Then off they would go again, though one little one was curious and kept getting caught up in little side investigations.
The little one gets left behind!
Five other geese came downstream and three followed the little family at a distance along the edge for a while. The parents didn’t seem concerned—possibly those were last year’s goslings of their own family learning a little more about raising baby geese. I thought they might be a crew of bachelor geese who were kidding each other about parenthood.
The bachelors.
Five are perfectly lined up.
On the edge.
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All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop or Fine Art America profile to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit “purchasing” for availability and terms.
Geese and Ripples
Geese
A sunny winter day with big clouds can offer interesting lighting; in this case a huge cloud traveled over the geese and me, while all around the sky was bright and the hills were lit by winter sun. All the light in this image is comes in at an angle and reflects onto the geese and water, cool winter light enhancing all the shades of blue as the geese calmly paddle along on Chartiers Creek in Carnegie.
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For a print of any photo, visit “purchasing” for availability and terms. For photos of lots of black cats and other cats—and even some birds as I first published this post there—visit The Creative Cat.
Geese and Ripples
Geese
A sunny winter day with big clouds can offer interesting lighting; in this case a huge cloud traveled over the geese and me, while all around the sky was bright and the hills were lit by winter sun. All the light in this image is comes in at an angle and reflects onto the geese and water, cool winter light enhancing all the shades of blue as the geese calmly paddle along on Chartiers Creek in Carnegie.
The First Wave
The First Wave
Of course, we can never see the signal, but the front line floating down Chartiers Creek in Carnegie suddenly took flight and flew 100 yards or so upstream, leaving those behind milling around, trying to decide if they should do the same. Eventually the did. Perhaps there was a mark somewhere on the creek floor and a system set up that only geese understand.
Undecided Geese
Undecided Geese
The Canada geese were paddling along on Chartiers Creek as I made my late afternoon errands and they generally move with grace and composition, but they got all bunched up as they were going under the bridge—I think it was because the bridge has a pier in the center and some of them decided to go on the other side…and these guys just couldn’t decide what to do.
Then some goose took the initiative and everyone got in line. Geese like to know where they stand, or paddle.
Decided Geese
Hey…
Hey, wait a minute…
The geese were paddling along in formation on Chartiers Creek, but it looked to me as if one of them had another idea.
Geese and Ripples
Geese
A sunny winter day with big clouds can offer interesting lighting; in this case a huge cloud traveled over the geese and me, while all around the sky was bright and the hills were lit by winter sun. All the light in this image is comes in at an angle and reflects onto the geese and water, cool winter light enhancing all the shades of blue as the geese calmly paddle along on Chartiers Creek in Carnegie.
The First Wave
The First Wave
Canada geese don’t care if it’s raining; they’re already wet. Of course, we can never see the signal, but the front line floating down Chartiers Creek in Carnegie suddenly took flight and flew 100 yards or so upstream, leaving those behind milling around, trying to decide if they should do the same.
Six Geese A-swimming
Lift those feet!
All right, everyone, lift those feet and glide!
Perhaps because the water is shallow, all the geese have lifted their webbed feet to let them trail behind in the water. I’d think they were just coasting along with the current, except they are facing upstream. Perhaps they are using them as brakes of a sort? Not sure, but six geese in nearly perfect unison was just too funny.
On Chartiers Creek in Carnegie.
Today 