Serene Scenery Sunday

Ha roo, pups and cool cats!  It's me, Zim!  It's been quite the serene week here at Ao4 Headquarters - all kinds of wonderful things to see and do.  We've been having fly-overs by giant flocks of Snow Geese - we always love seeing them!  I've also been on some great walks with my sisters and have had some fun times out on the deck with them.  Since I had already been out to Tuttle Creek State Park with Mom a few days earlier, imagine my surprise when she asked if I'd like to go again!  I think you can tell from the look on my face in this photo how happy I was to get out there!

"Ha roo!  Birdie friends, here we come!"

Don't worry, Mom didn't take the photo while she was driving.  She pulled over a tiny bit and stopped to take it!

When we made our first stop, look at who we saw soaring through the sky:

Juvenile Bald Eagle

"Juvenile" doesn't mean he was acting goofy or something - it means he's not an adult yet.  Ha roo roo roo!

There were also some sea gulls:

Ring-Billed Gull

I looked out across the water to see who else we could see.

"Gooses!"

There were Canada Gooses swimming around, as well as a collection of Lesser Scaups and Redhead Ducks!  They were mighty far off, so it was hard for Mom to get good shots.  In this next photo, if you see my goose friends on the left, then another group of gooses behind them, then there are tiny dark specks near the opposite shoreline.  Those are the Scaups and Redheads!

Activity on the River Pond

But LOOK!  Check out that tree just off center!  Zoom in, Mom!

Bald Eagles!

A tree full of Bald Eagles!  We count 11 this time!  How cool is that?!?  The sight sure gave Mom all kinds of serenity!

After we watched the Eagles and Gooses for a while, we walked through a field of mud, then got back into the car.  That was great fun.  Me?  I didn't get my paws muddy at all.  Mom needed to find some snow and a stick to clean her shoes off, though.  Ha roo roo roo!

We drove over to the dam outlet, to see if there was any action on the Big Blue River.  I had a good look around and spotted a friend!

"Ha roo!"

Can you see him way out there?  Maybe not.  Let's have Mom take a shot over the fence railing:

The Big Blue River
And my friend Spike way down there

Can you see that white speck down near the bend in the river?  Just across from and up a little from Mom's watermark.  That's one of my Pelican friends!  I did my best to lure him over!

"Oh, I hope he swims over to see me!"

See, if you look right at another animal, it feels intimidated.  I look away and act calm and unassuming.  Birdies, bunnies, neighborhood kitties, and everyone else I've met seem to appreciate that.  And now ... look over the railing!

"Zim!  Is that you?!?"

It was Spike!  Check out his hair - it always looks like that, so Mom started calling him "Spike".  I think it fits him pretty well!

He swam around by us for a while, then headed back down river.

"Stay serene, Zim!"

It was great seeing him - and all of our other birdie friends, too!  

We headed home when Spike left.

"No swimming?  I wonder if Spike knows about that!?!"

We had a great time at Tuttle Creek State Park - I hope you did, too!

Have a wonderfully serene Sunday, everyone!

Play bows,

Zim