Dear blogging friends, soon I will have a more reliable connection to the Internet. I am looking forward to be able to comment and respond to all your posts, which have become so dear to me over the past couple of years. In the meantime, I would like to thank one and all for your amazing patience and those lovely comments you wrote when I managed to post another episode of the Klopp family story. Greetings from the beautiful Arrow Lake, BC, Canada!
Spring equinox has come and gone, and there is still snow on the ground. In my desperate search for a sign of the elusive Spring, I resorted to all kinds of tricks. Looking for animals, which read Nature’s sign posts much better than we humans can, I discovered the geese pair on the bare patches down at the Fauquier golf course and a robin on our yard pulling out from softening ground the very first earthworm. Taking a shot of the acorn I felt a little bit like I was cheating, since an acorn is a nut maturing in the fall. But it falls to the ground only in the spring to bring forth another tree. Surely. the crocus vigorously pushing through layers of leaves is a sign of spring For the hazelnut flower I had to set my macro setting to less than one cm to capture one of the tiniest flowers in the plant world. Enjoy!
When will Spring finally come? – I guess, when the snow will be gone.
Hazelnut Flower
Robin looking for an Earthworm
Acorn ready to pop out
How does the tender crocus manage to push through the leaves?
Every year the Canada Geese are staying longer, before they are turning south towards warmer climates. Here in Fauquier they like to gather at the local golf course, where they have easy access to large areas of high quality grass. While one goose is indistinguishable from another to the human eye, the geese definitely know the difference. What appears to us like a giant gaggle of over a hundred geese, could easily be a dozen different flocks, which is only noticeable, when they are being alarmed and take off, one flock at a time. Today’s post will highlight the Canada geese at the Arrow Lake in Fauquier. Enjoy the sights!
The head goose puts the flock on high alert at a distance of about 50 m.
At distance of about 30 m from me the geese are taking off.
Most are now air-borne and are heading towards the safety of the lake.
Safe! Humans, try to catch us in the icy waters, if you can.
You can also view my photo stream at flickr.com. Photos are taken mostly from the Arrow Lakes area. Simply search for Peter Klopp under people.
Although our Beautiful British Columbia had been plagued this summer by a terrible heat wave and dry spell causing devastating wild fires, our community was lucky. The few fires caused by lightning were quickly put out. However, the smoke in the air was often so dense that one could not see the mountains across the lake. In spite of the eerie gloom in the air, there were moments when nature granted glimpses into its amazing beauty.
The Peter and Gertrud Klopp Family 