That wouldn't be worth an exclamation point in an ordinary year, but considering the winter we've had and the relative nature of excitement, return of the Canada geese is a big deal.
Mary Ellen called last night to report that, driving home in late afternoon following a conference in Creston, she'd seen huge flights from Highway 34; and Darrin called this morning, reporting a goose brawl at Pin Oak.
By the time I got down to the marsh, fighting had subsided and only three peacable honkers were skidding around on the ice of the east pond; a few more on the west pond. More were flying over, apparently moving from pond to pond along the greenbelt.
In an ordinary winter with far less snow cover, the geese are with us year-around, grazing in harvested fields and elsewhere, often keeping patches of water open. This year, however, those fields have been buried under snow since December and the geese wisely became snowbirds and headed south.
Their return, of course, means the spring is just around the corner.
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