Canada Goose coming in for a landing, Salt Lake County, UtahCanada Goose coming in for a landing – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 400, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

Before I get started on the bird in my post today I’d like to give a short weather report because there is actually snow on the ground here this morning! It is still dark and I can’t tell just how much of the white stuff is on the ground and it is still snowing. It is past the middle of February now and I think this is only the fourth time there has been a measurable snow, meaning more than a skiff, this winter where I live.  Every bit of snow in the high country helps though at this point because we are far below average snow pack this winter. It does mean that I will have to scrape that white stuff off of my Jeep but it is worth it to see the snow.

Okay, now for my post…

Birds in general tend to look graceful when they are in flight but there are times I think they can look downright goofy too and those occurrences often happen when the birds are either taking off or landing. Canada Geese can look a little goofy when they are landing because they frequently use their wings, tails and even their feet as brakes to slow themselves down right before they land. Sometimes when I am photographing the geese while they are coming in to land on the water it almost seems like they are parachuting in instead of flying.

Last month I took 40 frames of this single Canada Goose flying into the local pond hoping to get a landing pose like this one and I was able to take 15 sharp images of it putting the brakes on. I liked this photo the best because of the out of focus clouds, tree top and the distant mountains in the background.

Birds fascinate me.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Canada Geese photos plus facts and information about this species.