Gaggle Again

Autumn in under way now, and in the dying days of September, the morning sun and heat mean that the patio screen door is still in use. Just after breakfast, the familiar sound brings us to the patio deck as the fields nearby attract a huge gaggle of geese.

Gaggle is a great term for them too. It denotes the symphony of sounds made by these dynamic wonders as they practise formations with the younger birds in preparation for the long trip south in the coming months. They fly over us this morning, and we listen for the swish of wing against air, but the gaggle is too noisy. Again, we are lucky to escape any errant emissions from the hundreds of birds.

After five years, we have not tired of the spectacle, the wonder of goose and gaggle, honk and flight formation, while mindful of the hunters looking for that Thanksgiving bird.

We hope never to tire of this wonder of nature.