Icy huddle

A frigid morning  forced the waterfowl to huddle together at the western shore of Prospect lake..Among the motley variety-- dominated by Canada Geese, ice droplets on their insulated feathers, was a pair of RING-NECKED DUCKS, and a hen AMERICAN WIGEON.The coots are clucking with delight in between the bodies.Pockets of open water permeated the ice mass, but few gulls were around, some being blown by the wind,the majority sensibly hunkered down to make themselves small as possible. Bbbrrrr today                                                              

While mentioning the Canada Geese, a claustrophobic spectacle at Upper Pool. Yesterday I counted 305 geese in this small pond,  overcrowded with noisy honkers. Today it hovered around 300, but I might have miscounted. That's what happens when your brain freezes--it messes up my cognitive calculations....