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A trip to Baskett Slough National Wildlife Preserve proved to be a fruitful afternoon of birding. This preserve is a wetland teeming with ducks, geese, swans and birds of all kinds. We found a Northern Harrier, an American Kestrel, Western Grebes, Northern Shovelers and many more. Among the many more were thousands of Canada Geese, which are so common and are always found in great numbers in the wetlands and the fields that surround the preserve. I was not paying any attention to them as I was especially enjoying the florescent deep green of the Shovelers head with their black beaks and wishing it was closer to the mating season of the Western Grebe so I could experience their exotic dance skimming on the surface of the water in dancing pairs.

Then all of a sudden thousands of Canada Geese took flight, lifting up and flying away from the area I was closely observing. The sky was full and the air was interrupted with thousands of wings beating and incessant honking. They had not flown very far when they all made an abrupt U turn and began to come back toward us in a perfect V formation. I photographed this formation and several subsequent views as they came closer and closer. When they were almost overhead they were no longer dark silhouettes against the blue sky but caught the sunlight to expose their white and black and grey markings. What a feast for the eyes! As I looked up the sky was completely patterned with a mass of these swift, graceful and fleeting forms. I was completely pleased to have caught this sky show on my iphone and I wanted to share it with you.