I read the other day that the Ross geese are destroying the alfalfa fields in Klamath. The geese are on their way north via the Pacific flyway and it seems that Klamath Basin alfalfa is a sweet delight to them. They eat the plants right to the ground, and since alfalfa is a perennial crop, the fields are destroyed permantly.
I suppose it's a bad thing for the farmers here, already fight for survival and dealing with power costs increasing 10 fold and the question of water always in the background. Yet, I can't help but love these geese. When I walk up to them, they lift off like someone shaking a sheet before folding it, waving and fluttering together as a single being. Symbol of spring. Something so incredible about the sound of rushing wings overhead as they lift and turn.
I drove with Mo down to Miller Island and Tingley Lake to find pelicans. There were no pelicans, but we found the geese. Ross and Snow and Canada, and a lot of great egrets, and hawks and eagles. Birds in the Klamath. It was a way of saying goodbye to this home of mine, at least for a time. The skies were much as I remember them 3 years ago when I found the geese at Miller Island for the first time, and posted similar photos to weatherunderground, so amazed at the spectacle of migration, so thrilled to see and hear it up close.
I leave this weekend, but not for good. I'll be back to move and pack, but then it WILL be for good, at least for a bit of time. I have no idea at all what life will bring to me in the next short few years, but as always, I do know it will be full of new experiences and adventure, and yes, maybe some sadness and hard times as I deal with living in a new world. I can always go back to these photos of the geese, though, and know that they will always be here in March. I can return just like they do to this magic wonderland of desert and water and birds. It's the refuges that draw me to this place, that and water in the desert, open spaces and sky. Winter is long and cold but when the birds return, I remember why I love it here.
1 comment:
It always seems to be the fight - man against nature. I'm sure the geese think that the alfalfa is planted for them to support their migration!
Beautiful picture of the birds taking wing - too bad that the sounds of them can't also be captured in the blog!
As you say - at least you aren't leaving the area for good, and can always migrate back up that way!
On to new travels and experiences!
Love ya,
Deanna
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