![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/canada-goose-2398b-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"canada-goose-2398b-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nA golden goose running on golden pond.<\/p>\n
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1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Two days ago I caught this Canada Goose taking off at a local pond. The sun was close to setting so it seemed like the entire world was lit up with warm golden light, including the goose and the water. The result was a\u00a0mostly monochrome\u00a0photo that may not have universal appeal but I think images like this can have a distinct charm.\u00a0When I was first learning bird photography I was ambivalent at best about monochrome images but my mentor and eventual friend Richard Ditch taught me to appreciate them – one of many lessons I learned\u00a0from Rich.<\/p>\n But it takes more than just a monochrome palette to make an interesting and appealing photo. I also like the wing position, the running feet, the water splash, eye contact with catch light and the sharpness of the goose. And I think the bluish pebbled texture of the foreground water adds an interesting dimension to the image, partly because it’s so different from the smoother-appearing water lacking the blue\u00a0reflections in the upper background.<\/p>\n Yes, the Canada Goose is a common species and even a significant nuisance in many areas but in my book they’re magnificent birds. In the fall especially I like to stand in front of my living room picture window and watch and listen to flocks of them flying over my home as they fly to and from a nearby large pond. I live on a hill so they often skim so\u00a0close over my house that if I open one of the small side windows I can hear the whoosh of their wings.<\/p>\n And\u00a0the calls from squadrons of that many large, noisy\u00a0birds\u00a0in flight so\u00a0low overhead actually give me… dare I say it?<\/p>\n Goose bumps.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n Note: I’ll\u00a0admit it. One of the reasons I stand at the window is to see if they poop on the glass (I can hear them coming so I have plenty of time to get there). It’s a very high window so it would be a\u00a0pain in the butt\u00a0to clean it off but I’ve been lucky because so far it’s never happened in going on thirty years. I’m surprised.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n