Swarming Swans, Gaggles of Geese, and Dozens of Ducks
Madeline and Shaye both told me about the waterfowl that frequents the Irondequoit Bay/Lake Ontario area. Ever since I emailed Shaye and she sent me some photos the other day, I have been *dreaming* of making this journey. Shaye had told me that the swans were eating bread right from the hand of her husband. This, you must understand, just got those little gears working in my mind…(see previous post)
The other day, I ventured forth to Country Max and purchased two 10 pound bags of cracked corn for the appointed day. Every time I looked into the back of the truck and saw the bags, my mind would once again wander into a dreamlike state….
Mark’s mom had a doctor’s appointment this morning and she lives only a short distance from “the magical” place! As we drove to Rochester, my mind was filled with imaginings, unleashed! Oh, to feed a swan from my hand….it sounds too surreal….such happenings are reserved for Heaven, I thought to myself as I tried to calm down!
Mark’s mom went in for her doctor’s appointment, and we drove over to Wendy’s so the troops could refresh themselves. My stomach had been a tad off yesterday, so I passed, but then decided on a tiny Frosty, which felt so good and hit the spot. We waited and waited for the call that my mother-in-law was done. It seemed the time stood still, and then, the phone rang!
My mother-in-law has a cold that she says is breaking up now, so when Mark inquired if she might be interested in seeing the “birds”, I hoped she would say “yes”. She did, and off we went.
The temperature dropped throughout the day, and by the time we reached our destination, it was cold, but the wind was downright brutal. Mark parked on a boat launch where all the birds were in clear view. I think I veritably flew from the truck, excited beyond belief that I was getting this close to the birds. Ben and I carefully opened one of the bags of corn and I filled a little cup.
As I walked toward the group of swans, geese, and ducks, I truly expected them to recoil and head for the open waters. Not so!
I held my hand out so they could see that I came bearing food. They were almost as excited as I!
This group was amazing. I didn’t count the swans, but there must have been more than a dozen. There weren’t really that many geese, but the Mallards? There must have been over 50 Mallards! The birds didn’t fight or carry on as I dropped some of the corn near the water. The ducks ate, the geese ate, and the swans ate. All peaceably.
The trickiest part of this whole exercise was trying to feed the birds AND photograph them at the same time. Needless to say, it was downright impossible! One of the swans was so comfortable in my presence that it plopped right down on the launch within inches of my feet!
As I held the corn out in my hand, the swans would gobble at my fingers! I would then allow some of the corn to slide down my hand and into their mouths. Having owned geese in the past, I am familiar with getting “goosed”. That is one of the most pinchingly painful injuries I can think of. The swans, on the other hand, would actually grab at my fingers, but would gently let loose instead of clamping down!
Michelle picked up the little Panasonic camera and took pictures of my encounters…(and look how BIG those swans are!!!)
One startling “eureka” for me was the bright coloration of the Mallards. Not only are the males strikingly beautiful, but I have never seen the females looking so pretty! They were also colorful! Breeding season cannot be far off, I am sure!
The gradiant sizes of the birds is very evident when they are all within inches of each other!
Here you can see one of the swans eating directly from my hand. I must interject at this point that my fingers were actually burning. The wind was tormentuous as it lashed wildly about. Since there is nothing to impede the gusts”, it was brutal. And miserable.
With many pounds of cracked corn still available, we purposed to go back again when the weather is just a bit milder!
In the meantime, Michelle got the cutest photo today……
Like I said…..magical……totally magical!
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Wow you’re very brave – I’m not sure I’d have been up to getting them eating out of my hand like that!
I LOVE that last photo!!
That last picture is great! Did you notice that one of the swans in the first picture is getting goosed by another swan? What’s up with that? You are definitely more brave than I…the bay is just WAY too cold when the wind is blowing. I am glad you finally got to go and feed the swans. It looks as though you had a great time.
Oh, Katya! I’m so glad you had such a wonderful adventure! I think of you, and how much you’d enjoy such a photo op., every time I go down to the bay. Hope none of those swans got your hand along with that corn. Cy got nipped by a very large swan just a few days ago. That was his “reward” for feeding the beast Corn Chex, I guess.
It was so very cold yesterday. The kids and I talked about stopping to feed the birds after going to a movie matinee, but we almost froze just walking to and from Wegmans parking lot, and decided to let the waterfowl find their own food — I’ll let the kids know that you were there to keep the beasts from starving. BTW…Carly and I once counted 53 swans in the water before we got boredl Just wait for the weather to get a bit warmer.
Madeline, I hope Cy’s hand was okay! They have such a large beak..bill…whatever, but they were so gentle! I am double-jointed and can bend my fingers backwards pretty far. I figured out to do so after having my fingers look as though they were going to be swallowed!!!!
This was just such an awesome opportunity and I am so excited about getting such a chance to be up close and personal!
Jackie, color me nuts, but after having geese before, I am not afraid of birds. Mark said he got a little nervous when the birds started coming towards me as I walked towards them! He asked me if I didn’t realize that those birds could have “killed me”! hahaha!
The birds know what side their bread is buttered on – or rather where the feed is coming from!
Great photographs!
Yes, Cy’s hand was fine, but that beast certainly did surprise him, especially since he was sitting in the van, throwing food out the window, and the swan was tall enough to reach right in and help himself to the food.
I think the biggest threat from most of those birds is from their seagull friends, who love to “dive-bomb” unsuspecting visitors — just ask Erin!
Wow. What a wonderful day out — and great photos. And that last one is so very cute.
I love Michelle’s last shot! and the one lone pigeon in the fifth shot is so funny. I’m not sure I could hand feed them. I have a fear of being that close to birds. Maybe because these are like parrots I’d be ok though. I know where you were at… I might have to take a road trip. That’s only about 45 minutes from here.
oops that should be… because these aren’t like parrots LOL
WOW! What a terrific post! Those things are HUGE!!! The pictures that your daughter took really show the size difference!!! And I absolutely love the last pic! I think I would have been a little bit afraid of those huge ones!
You are one crazy lady! Crazy lady in a tartan skirt! You’d be quite at home in Argyll – though it would have to be mid-Argyll; we live in the downmarket end where we don’t really wear tartan much…
