I am all but certain these birds are Canada Geese floating in the water. Maybe they are taking a break from flying south. Maybe this is as far as they will go. I suspect the water is actually warmer than the ground would be and the birds are waterproof.
--December 19, 2020 at 1:02 PM. Warwick, RI, United States
On Wednesday night, December 16, 2017 a Nor’easter1 blew in and dumped at least 6 inches of snow on us along the coast (far more inland especially in northern Rhode Island). The storm left behind plenty of snow. The snow was not the light fluffy type, over 2 feet of it, that friends of ours reported shoveling clear in Albany, NY; it was wet and heavy. Moe than enough to get the lower back muscles to announce complaints the day after plenty of driveway clearing. But with the work comes the pretty sight of fresh snow. Snow on the ground and snow in the trees. Snow making the bright red cardinals and numerous other birds more vibrantly visible as they visit a bird feeder. Snow muffling sounds except when you crunch across the frozen crusty layer and hear great crunches with each step. With the return of the sun on Saturday it was time to brave the black and not-so-black ice that was left behind and go for a walk.
I’ve written about Rocky Point before and it is certainly nice having this park so close by. Being able to walk to the shore of the bay and just enjoy the plessure of being there makes the just-over 2 mile large loop walk so much more fun. That remains true even when other people are around and there were quite a few people about on this 34°F afternoon. I suppose they had the same idea: get out of the house and enjoy the first special snow of the season as best as can be done given the pandemic.
I certainly enjoyed my walk. The kids sledding on the short but steep hill by the pier were enjoying themselves. I am sure the small groups of fellow walkers were having fun. And, of course, the dogs attached to people were enjoying the snow too. I’d like to think the honking of the scores of Canada Geese as they bobbed in the water were honks of pleasure.
Enjoy the video and remember to get out when you can even for a small adventure near your home.
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[definition](https://www.weather.gov/safety/winter-noreaster ↩︎
