By David Hoskin | 2025-01-17
Hmmm...
On 01/16/2025 03:25 pm by Randy Strauss | West Papillion Creek, Nebraska
I came across this flock of geese along the west branch of Papillion Creek, Nebraska. Two things caught my attention. Almost all of the geese are standing on one leg, and there was a single snow goose surrounded by fifty Canada geese. Both seemingly strange things are actually normal. Geese often stand on one leg during cold weather to conserve heat, alternating the legs every so often. Also, it's not particularly rare to see a single snow goose in a flock of Canadas. The "lone ranger" may have separated from its usual flock for any number of reasons and joined this one for security (it wasn't injured). It had been accepted, none of the Canada geese thought anything of its presence and they were content to forage for grass seed along the banks of the creek. (The distinctive black "grin patch" along its bill and black wing tips identify it as a snow goose.)
Canon SL2 DSLR, Canon 300mm lens f/5.6, 1/1000th second, ISO 640
Sharpened slightly