Agreed, we had a coulee running through our back yard on the farm and it was so neat to see ducks, geese etc. Not so neat when the beavers showed up though. They didn't usually stay long though. I discouraged their efforts to set up a residence there. Always wanted to stock the water with fish but our winters get too cold for them to survive apparently. Years ago when my brother came home from Boy Scout camp he brought some baby painted turtles and released them there. We saw turtles for many years after but eventually I think they must have all died off.

Hi  Todd,

I guess you are right,  it is nice to hear them ( Geese ) leave and then return in the spring. The difference in your situation is you have to walk down to the river to see and hear them. This is not our case, they ( Geese) bed down for the evenings along the shore line in the sea grass and then in the mornings they come onto our back lawn and graze all day long.  The crap that these birds can S _  _ T is incredible.  Then we have to quarantine our dog from the lower portion of the lawn then we go into clean up mode, ah well rake bird poop or leaves one or the other, LOL ,  no difference I like being outdoors anyway. 

We saw about 200 Geese in a snow-covered corn field on the way home last week.

The ducks are all paired off down around the fishing wharf in our area. We probably have about 100+ ducks. Fun to watch them bobbing with their behinds in the air.

This is the first time we've also had a pair of seals sun bathing on sunny days.