Saw a new species today. The Snow-covered Goose. Field markings: White on top, brown on the bottom. See, in the Chicago area, our Canada Geese aren’t much into migrating. Today we’re having a blizzard. So our geese are huddled in large packs on the ground in fields and parking lots. They have a good, deep layer of white wet snow on them, but they don’t seem to mind. Many have their heads tucked under their wings, sleeping, staying warm. Maybe hibernating? The Snow-covered Goose. My species of the day.
By contrast, I also saw what I’m pretty sure is a Crimson-crested Woodpecker. Might not be, but we can talk about that. I kind of like the symmetry of the names…Snow-covered, Crimson-crested. But where do you see a woodpecker in a blizzard? Right here. A friend told us to check out a video of a woodpecker fighting a snake. We hear about odd videos all the time, but it’s a snowy, boring day so we went to this link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9mst2pjqn8
Raises age-old issues about eminent domain, doesn’t it? Usually these disputes are solved by who’s bigger. Although sometimes it’s a matter of who got there first. And about how possession is nine tenths of the law. But this is the law of the jungle. And a warm jungle it is, a good place to visit on a day like today. Was it a Crimson-Crested? Could’ve been a Robust Woodpecker. Both are similar South American species. Meanwhile, up north we’ve got our Snow-covered Geese.
