As the weather has turned colder, the New Albany bird population has changed. The robins, blue jays, and cardinals of the summer are long since gone, and flocks of Canadian geese have been moving through, using the pond on the Yantis Loop as one of their stops as they fly south for the winter. They tend to be noisy, messy visitors, honking and crapping as they rest for the night before leaving the next day.
This morning I noticed that the swan couple that has occupied the Yantis Loop pond this year seems to have departed. They had been fixtures on my morning walks as I passed the pond — their bright white forms standing out in sharp contrast against the black pond water, drifting in lazy circles, with their long necks twisted and their heads tucked under their wings as they dozed. This morning they were gone, leaving only the female duck with the apparent broken wing and her faithful mallard companion to occupy the pond as I strolled past.
Winter will soon be here.
