Monday critter report

 Maybe a Common Gallinule or maybe a Coot, and a Canada Goose....

 A walk around the lake at about 3 o'clock on Saturday.  Lots of hungry geese are out.

 This one took off just as I got near...flying after another one that's barely visible center of the photo.

 The wild white ducks.  Some are breeding with the Mallards, so probably are not geese.

I saw 3 mallards swimming around in the middle of the lake. They all dived and disappeared for the count of 15 seconds, and when they returned to the surface one male was trying to mount another.  I've never seen anything like it. Couldn't tell for sure that the one practically underwater was female...but hey, they're ducks!

 My sad little lone goose on the dam was not alone today.  There's another pair that aren't exactly "with him."

 There really are 2 geese in this shot...but you may have to use your imagination so you don't think it's a 2 headed goose.

Lonely dam goose still shows something amiss with his wing feathers.

Early spring blooms

 Not just white daffies, but flowering Quince, which has kind of been swallowed up by something else.  I have such trouble remembering that name from year to year, but I keep seeing it, and finally it comes to me about the 10th time I drive by some.

 Late afternoon sun hit the redbud by the parking lot...to bring out it's beauty against the darker trees behind.

 This is indoors, and has offered me colorful blooms for months...

 But everything that blooms naturally must fade and droop eventually. My purple shamrock has been happy to be inside all winter, and awaits the end of frosts (usually Mother's Day, but who knows with climate change!)

Mr. Canada Goose is oblivious to the blossoms (not sure what they are.)

My attempt to capture a closeup while wind was blowing failed.

 I'd never noticed that a well trimmed hedge near the swimming pool is actually Forsythia.

The last of the cherry blossoms near the walk  around the lake.

Sailing sailing

Remote controlled sailboating...it's on a sign that the sailing club puts up when they are having a sail.

 Sorry about picture quality...but trying to capture the movement of boats around the little bouys...kind of impressionistic looking!

The pilots (captains?) of the boats all have these harnesses across their backs.

Sharing this with Sepia Saturday this week...though of course I've missed again on having  "old photos"...but the boats are floating around on the lake, so I couldn't resist the link to the theme this week!

Getting out in sunshine again

 Fishing is one attraction...

 Or swinging...

Or climbing and sliding...

I'll find photos of the remote controlled sail boats for tomorrow's post!

Goose on the dam

 As I stepped onto the dam at Lake Tomahawk yesterday, I said to myself "yep, he's still there."

 He climbed out of the water and enjoyed nibbling something among the grass that had been shortened since I was here last.  It's only a few feet up from the water that's been shaved with a weed-eater.  Since male Geese are having it out over who gets the island at the other end of the lake, I am pretty sure this is an immature goose...and could be male or female.  I wish I knew if there was any way of knowing age or gender of a goose!

 The sluice was pretty clear, as well as the sky today.

A quick look back at the dam and neighborhood from the bridge over the sluice.

 Blossoms are pretty much finished on this tree.

This wonderful shot shows why you turn off the camera app before putting it in your pocket.  I even included a bit of finger!

Walking south at the Lake

Sorry, I didn't really take this, but my watermark got saved on a FB post by someone else!

Rabbit rabbit, happy April Fools Day!