HomeNovember 23, 1997
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Igor lives!When we didn't see Igor, the one-winged Canada goose, on our Watchemocket Cove expedition last Sunday Nancy got worried. I got a little worried too. What if the storm got him? Nancy pictured his little goose body floating somewhere in the cove and us never knowing what happened to him. But we weren't ready to give up based on one missed sighting. So today's major order of business was to go to the cove immediately after breakfast, armed with duck bread, and look for Igor. It was pretty darn cold and quite gray when we got there, but at least the wind wasn't brutal like last week. The swans started grabbing the bread right out of my hand and I was afraid I'd get a broken finger or something. For those of you unfamiliar with Atlantic Mute Swans, they are very strong and can be quite brutal. They've been known to break human arms. Swans to left of us swans to the right of us, more coming and we're running out of bread. Two young guys with a big video camera - like they were from Channel 6 or something - showed up and said they wanted to get a weather shot. One of them asked us if we'd seen the swan with the broken beak lately - nope - or the goose with one wing - nope. We speculated about where the goose was. We didn't tell the camera guy we'd named the goose Igor. That just seems too weird. Anyway, he hadn't seen Igor for 2 weeks either. Now Nancy was getting really worried. I was focused however. One feature of Igor is that he imprinted on a family of swans. I noticed that that particular family was not among the swans surrounding us ready to kill for Cumberland Farms white bread. I decided we should check the other side of the cove by the golf course since I saw some flashed of white indicating swans over there too. We crossed the street and I scanned with binoculars. Sure enough, there was the little swan nuclear family - Mom and Pop and three cygnets. I scanned near them and spotted a lone goose. I couldn't be sure it was Igor because the maimed side wasn't facing me and he wasn't turning around. I needed to get a good look. I dashed back across the street for my scope and tripod from the trunk of the car and walked further down Veteran's Memorial Parkway toward the golf course for a better viewing angle. I focused in on the goose and tracked it with the scope until it turned around. It's him! Igor lives! Nancy gave me a big hug and looked through the scope to verify my sighting. We were freezing cold by this time, but very happy that our favorite goose is still there hanging with his swan family and about 37 million American widgeons. I lost count of the widgeons at 173 but there were definitely more. Also 16 Canada geese on the golf course, and a slew of ring-billed gulls. No mergansers of any kind yet. But the main thing was the little one-winged Canada goose who thinks he's a swan. We've gotten attached to him. By this time I was wicked cold despite layers of Polartec, so we hopped in the car to get warm. We drove over to the little pond in East Providence that we discovered last week and watched two swans carefully move beak full after beak full of wet maple and oak leaves out of the water near the shore onto the bank. I thought they were moving them out of the way to get at some kind of desired food on the bottom, but no. When the two of them had moved sufficient leaves, they sailed out into the pond in a nice clear channel. They were making a channel! I guess the wet leaves slow them down or something - or they just don't like the feel of them. I have never seen swans do this before. Too bad I didn't have the camera. Next we headed to Crescent Beach where I picked up more broken glass for my glass project while Nancy listened to the repeat of A Prairie Home Companion on WGBH. I concentrated on green glass but got plenty of brown and clear too. Someday I should just do my little work of art thing and stop collecting glass for it. On to Colt State Park where it was really cold. We saw 16 buffleheads and a flock of brant, so the winter waterfowl season is well underway. A quick trip to Blithewold revealed that the mansion was not open, but will be open starting Friday with a Christmas tree, Christmas rooms on an Italian theme, and of course, concerts. I bought some Xmas cards in the gift shop and we headed back to Providence for dinner at Taste of India and then the long ride home. |
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