This is a forgotten photo from December 2013. The Speed River flows through the city of Guelph in southern Ontario, and here in the vicinity of Riverside Park, the water remains open through the winter. Ducks and a number of Canada geese (they don't all bolt south for the winter, it seems) swim about in the shallow waters, feeding off whatever vegetation happens to be there, and swindling passersby into perhaps sharing something tasty.
Lovely photo, William. It reminds me of a very large group of ducks (50 or more) that I saw here in a park by the water a few years ago. They were all standing on the snow and I didn't expect to see that many, so as you said, some stay for the winter here and a surprising number of them, too.
ReplyDeleteNice place to visit, albeit with the extortion mob :-)
ReplyDeleteWhen dealing with the insane, the best method is to pretend to be sane. Hermann Hesse
ALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
<3
It is so cold this winter that the rivers are freezing up.
ReplyDeleteIt will be one of the few places where they can be outdoors during winter.
ReplyDeleteTomás.
Maybe they ought to rename the place Swindlers' Cove. :-)
ReplyDeleteNever under-estimate the swindling skills of ducks snd seagulls. They are experts of opportunity and circumstance.
ReplyDeleteHard to believe water that far north doesn't freeze over.
ReplyDeleteJanis
GDP
so pretty, but I expected ice
ReplyDeleteI was going to say, everything in your city will be well and truly frozen over this time of year.
ReplyDelete1That looks like some chilly water! Brave ducks!
ReplyDeletewhere are all the icicles and ice patches? ( :
ReplyDelete@Linda: if there's open water, some will stay.
ReplyDelete@Cloudia: and quite a mob they are.
@Andy: they do freeze up here, though the Rideau River at certain points, under the odd bridge, for instance, has open spots.
@Tomas: they don't seem to mind.
@Revrunner: I could have gone with a different name for the post, come to think of it.
@Gemma: they certainly are.
@Janis: it's a swift moving current on that part of the river, as shallow as it is.
@Hilary: it depends on the river.
@Gill: in Ottawa, mostly, but other places, depends on the flow of the river.
@Aimee: brave indeed!
@Beth: elsewhere!
Very nice, indeed.
ReplyDeleteThat's another fantastic waterway you get to enjoy right in the city!
ReplyDeletesmart panhandler fowl. :)
ReplyDeleteHey, everyone! If you're a friend of William's, you might already know that he got suspended over at Facebook for something he should never have been suspended for in the first place. The suspension was supposed to have been lifted on Friday, but he's still unable to post there. Please join Eve Gaal, Collin Beishir and me and retweet our message to Facebook over on Twitter, using the hash tag #BringWilliamBack
ReplyDeleteI'd be happy to help, but I don't have FB or TW.
DeleteHope things get worked out soon. Personally, I think FB sucks monkey balls.
une oasis en ville,tres belle endroit ;o)
ReplyDeleteThey must have some pumps that keep the water circulating so it won't freeze. It makes a great retreat for the birds.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't expect to see open water in your region at this moment, but it's a nice surprise for the geese and ducks.
ReplyDeleteThose waters don't even look that cold...no ice on the edge.
ReplyDeleteI thought they were all here! I saw another flock circling the pond yesterday. There are more geese here this year than last year.
ReplyDeleteInteresting comment about the Canada Geese. Birders who seem to know these things have told me the geese that are here in summer DO indeed venture further south for the winter. The ones we see now in balmy Ontario are from the Arctic. ;)
ReplyDelete@Whisk: thanks!
ReplyDelete@Lowell: well, this waterway is a few hours drive away!
@Tex: they are!
@Norma: thanks for the nod; let's just say that I will never forget Facebook treating me in this abominable manner.
@Audrey: merci!
@Sharon: no, I'd say it's just the swift current of the river.
@Jan: here and there are places where the water moves swiftly enough that it can stay open. The birds know where to find them.
@Red: not at this stretch, but further downstream the ice closes in.
@Judy: a lot of them do go much further south.
@EG: that would explain it!
I like your idea or geese 'swindling passersby'...
ReplyDeleteSo this area doesn't freeze over William? Lucky for the ducks :)
ReplyDeleteAmazing that the river remains open in the midst of winter, it must run rather swiftly.
ReplyDeleteThere have been winters when the Danube froze over, causing floods in spring.
I don't believe ANY Canada geese go south for the winter... and the ones in the south typically don't come north in the summer either. ;-)
ReplyDeleteHaha, I guess some ducks and geese love staying cold :-)
ReplyDeleteSwindling, eh? So how do they go about it? :-)
ReplyDeleteWe are all very well trained to feed the ducks and the geese but I'm told this is against the law in some areas now. Lovely photo :)
ReplyDeleteI certainly wouldn't like to sit in that water in December! ;-)
ReplyDeleteGood for them! The ducks I mean ;)
ReplyDelete@Whisk: I hope it's resolved by tomorrow, but I'll be ranting about it regardless on my other page.
ReplyDelete@VP: I should have titled this "The Grifters And Swindlers Of The Speed River."
@Grace: the birds know which areas stay open, and pass that knowledge along.
@Merisi: I remember the Credit River, near where I grew up, occasionally had flooding problems in spring.
@Halcyon: well, I know the ones here in Ottawa do flee. There are too many of them in summer, and we never see them in winter.
@Tamago: they don't seem to mind it.
@Ciel: I imagine they must have cute looking eyes.
@Denise: it's looked down upon in the greenspace around Dow's Lake, for instance.
@RedPat: me neither!
@Marleen: they deserve a bit of open water and sympathetic feedings.
Oh man. Facebook, the free hosting service we love to hate!
ReplyDeleteManotick is a great spot for birds that hang tough, too!
Great shot! Though that water looks a tad bit frigid!
ReplyDeleteI've heard ducks butts are watertight, they must be heated as well.
ReplyDeleteMoving water all year? Just ducky.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I would have expected it to have frozen over
ReplyDelete@Jennifer: quite true! The river down that way is swift.
ReplyDelete@Meradeth: no doubt it is!
@Anita: that might explain a lot!
@Birdman: Ducky indeed.
@Geoff: some bodies of water don't freeze over here, at least here and there.
I'm sure the water is very cold, but they don't seem to mind.
ReplyDeleteI thought all the Canadian Geese were down here in Southern California. There are hundreds of them in my neighborhood. Quite the characters, those geese...
ReplyDeleteSome Canada geese are hanging out in Washington state.
ReplyDeletePeaceful looking shot.
ReplyDeleteEven though the water is warm enough for them, those are some hearty birds!
ReplyDelete@Lois: they don't.
ReplyDelete@Pat: not all of them!
@Kay: some do!
@Randy: thanks!
@Kate: they are.