The pond behind our house is covered with slush. Late this afternoon (Thursday) it was home to a male Canada goose and a wood duck hen. The goose's mate is at pond edge, sitting on eggs, chin deep in snow. The goose can swim through the thick water. He comes ashore now and then to eat corn. The wood duck does the same. The last time I saw her today she had gone back into water too thick for her to swim, and too thin for her to walk. If a duck can stumble, that's what she did to get to an open channel made by the goose. The temperature at 9:30 tonight was 32.7 by our thermometer. It surely will be colder than that before daylight. I'm anxious about the birds out there, especially the duck.
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The birds survived. The goose is finding grass beneath the snow edging the pond. The wood duck has been joined by what I assume to be her mate. They are sitting on slush that this morning supports their weight.
