Unseen by me, two geese slipped into the lock ahead of my big, 17-tonne boat.

Halfway through filling the lock, there's a honk from below. The geese had swum between the steel boat and the brick wall of the lock chamber. The boat is 6½ feet wide (1.95m), the lock 7 feet (2.15m). Not a lot to spare.

I had to hold the boat away from the wall while herding the geese back to the open space ahead of the bow.

The boat is moored in what Brits refer to as a beauty spot. (The view is gorgeous.) A lovely small lake, lots of reeds on the far side, and an old hall up on the hill.

The soundtrack is geese. Honk. Honk. HonkhonkHonkhonkHONKhonkhonkHonkhonkhonkHONKhonkhonkHonkhonkhonkHONKhonkHonkHonkhonkhonkhonkHONKhonkHonkhonkhonkHONKhonkhonkHonkHONKhonkHonkHo kHonkHONKhonkhonk…

I think the boat needs to move on.

Amanda Griswold: I was more interested in waterfowl research. I love to fly in actual planes, and I also love ducks. Both of those two are combined into one project, which really interested me. That’s what drove me to apply and participate.
https://www.wpr.org/culture/wisconsin-university-grad-student-drone-technology-boost-waterfowl-conservation

I saw a duck with ducklings 4 days ago. Only 5 ducklings, so some had already become snacks.

I fed them mixed birdseed, which sinks. Only the duck could eat its fill. The ducklings, still so tiny, did their best. One stuck its head under to chase a seed. Very cute. Wish I had pics but I was busy parcelling out seed.

And 3 days ago we moored across from a nesting swan. Beak tucked under a wing the whole day. I fed its mate.

Bird of the Day — Double-crested Cormorant, Kansas 2025

The Three Amigos

Please meet my new friends. These three are practically inseparable and incredibly friendly which is how I was able to get this shot at 24mm. Full disclosure - I had to use generative expand to add a little space on the right to balance out the composition.

A little more fun with the TTArtisan Mirror Lens. I love the effect it has on the gold grasses, the sand and the trees although it probably doesn't show itself well on a small screen.

By the way, these ducks and I are building a pretty strong rapport, so expect to see more (and hopefully interesting) photos of them in the future.

Beautiful Green-winged Teal

A very artful bird with distinct coloring.

https://thecareyadventures.com/blog/beautiful-green-winged-teal/

I was told there would be ducks.....