Ducks and Geese

When I was a kid, my Aunt Beth took us to a very large duck pond in Winchester. What really stuck in my head about the experience was that she bought several loaves of bread at the nearby convenience store and let us each have a whole loaf or so to feed the ducks. I'm not sure what made me think about this excursion from my childhood, but several months ago I decided Caleb would probably love to check out the ducks as well. Since he loves watching birds out the window at our house and was quite entertained by the seagulls at the beach, I figured this would be right up his alley.

After talking about visiting the pond for months, we finally had a chance to go on Memorial day. The landscaping was prettier than I remembered.However, there were very few ducks to be found to my dismay. When I went as a child there were ducks everywhere, but unfortunately we probably only saw a dozen this time. Plus, my plan to let Caleb feed the ducks was put to a halt when I saw signs as soon as we got there warning visitors not to feed the wildlife. Despite these disappointments, we still had a good time anyway and he didn't know the difference.

Dave and Caleb under the shade of some willow trees

Caleb found a duck almost as soon as we arrived. As you
can imagine, he wanted to get in the water too!

While there were very few ducks around, we found plenty of geese!

I loved the baby goslings!

Caleb liked them too but the geese hissed at him when he
came too close. While I didn't like them hissing at my sweet toddler, I can
understand a Momma protecting her babies.

They are very photogenic creatures, aren't they?

So peaceful...

Across the sidewalk we found another flock of geese.

Caleb may have gotten confused and thought he was herding cattle.

Gaby the Goose: "Keep your eye on that kid with the sippy cup!"

Caleb: "Let me go. I just want to pet them, Mom."

Caleb persuaded the birds to take a little swim by
chasing them into the pond.

Afterwards, we found a couple more ducks with ducklings.

What happy boys!

On our way out, we found another smaller pond near our car
with a few ducks and quite a few ducklings. They are so sweet.

How adorable!

After sweating like crazy, we were all anxious to jump
back in the vehicle and turn on the AC. Caleb got to try his
hand behind the wheel while we cooled off for a moment. I
think this excited him even more than the ducks!

If anyone is looking for something fun and free to do in the area, I recommend the duck pond beside Shenandoah University. We enjoyed our visit and may have to make another trip on a not so hot day.