Day 497: Chicks 'n Ducks 'n Geese Better Scurry

I added this new photograph to Creative Journey in my Photography section,
Stroll Through the Park

For the first time in months, I met Dale at his office in the Spokane Valley and we went out for lunch together. It was a brisk and breezy fall day. We enjoyed each other's company, then I headed home while he went back to work.

Since I had the day to myself and didn't have any pressing obligations, I took the scenic ride home on the country road that runs south of the Spokane River instead of the usual quick trip down I-90. The country is so pretty this time of year. The horses roamed in the meadows. The trees gently released their leaves. The haze of wood fires hung over the valley floor.

The back road ends at Spokane Street in Post Falls, which then crosses over the Spokane River right next to Q'melin Park — our main city park that lines the river just east of the falls. As I started crossing the river, I peeked down into the park. The site captured my attention!

There along the shore were about 200 sea gulls hunkered down in the sand and gravel. In separate quarters on the lawns were several flocks of Canadian geese, taking a breather before heading further south for the winter. I was struck by how they'd segregated themselves on the beach. It looked like a photo to me, so I turned around and headed down into the park.

The birds were not too thrilled to have human company, so it was tough to get a photo of them doing anything but waddle away from me, tails in the air. So I took a different tactic and walked toward the bridge just outside the park. From that vantage point, I could focus down the river and catch the flocks from a more interesting angle.

I loved how just as I took this shot, something startled about half of the gulls, and they started flying off the beach and swirling over the river. At the same time, some of the geese paraded in a straight line down to the shore, the leader honking out orders. All the while, the birds in the center of the beach huddled close to the sand, trying to lie low against the autumn breeze.

The seasons, they are a-changin'. So glad I get to be a witness to these small wonders.