SIMPLE GIFTS
It was early on Christmas morning, and the air was heavy with the promise of snow. A thin layer of white already covered the ice that had formed on most of the lake. The carols of geese rose from a portion of open water about seventy-five yards directly in front of me. The flock was over a hundred strong. Most of the birds bobbed in the water, but some shuffled about on the ice at the water's edge.
Movement on the island hillside beyond the geese caught my attention. Through the lens I identified a red fox in search of breakfast. The fox left the island as he crossed the frozen water toward the north side of the lake. He appeared to be on a mission and quickly disappeared from view. So I turned my attention back to geese. A few more birds had moved out on the ice.
Minutes later the fox reappeared on the slope just north of the geese. He followed the contour of the shoreline until he was just opposite the open water. Then he turned into the brush that separated him from the birds. The geese on the ice quickly sought the security of the water. The fox emerged from the cover and walked along the edge of the open water. The geese closest to the ice hissed at him as he passed. When the fox reached the far end of the open water, he sat down just a few feet from the nearest goose, looked around, and scratched his side with his back foot. Breakfast for the fox would not include a goose from this group. So after a moment, he resumed his search for food and continued across the frozen lake to the south. Immediately, some of the geese moved back onto the ice.
Now the geese too began to think of breakfast, and as the morning wore on, groups of geese moved onto the ice and prepared for flight to their feeding area. As the geese lifted off in small groups, I photographed them with the trees on the south side of the lake as a background. Geese may not be especially colorful when compared to some members of the bird world, but their range of tones stood out nicely against the cool backdrop of the winter landscape.
In recent years, I have spent the early hours of this holiday by this lake on a wildlife management area in southeastern Pennsylvania. Although the rest of the day is filled with family, friends, too much food, and too many presents, I enjoy the moments of solitude in this place as I watch the world awake. The natural world always finds a way to offer something just a bit different from the year before, so I look forward to each new outing. As a child, I anticipated this day because of the material gifts associated with this holiday, but such presents no longer hold my attention. The fact that my family allows me to begin this day in this manner continues to be among the most meaningful gifts I have ever received.
