----- Original Message ----- From: Paul Stenquist Subject: Re: What did you end up photographing this weekend?
> I managed to get close enough to a Canadian Goose to knock off a couple > of good frames today. They are fairly easy to get close to because they > think people will feed them. While they are fun to photograph, most > Michiganders would appreciate it if they would return to Canada. They > are about the size of medium dogs, ditto their bowel movements. Not a > pleasant bird to have hanging around. Ah yes, the Branta canadensis. We are familiar with them. Did you know there is a group in the UK dedicated to the preservation of these fowl creatures? In Regina, we have a lake called Wascana, fed by a creek of the same name. The lake was a make work project to keep depression era young men from getting into too much mischief. The theory was that 12 hours of digging a lake with shovels and wheelbarrows would tire them out. It was a nice lake, the Wascana was. Fed by melted snow from the Arcola wetlands, the creek ran cool and clean. I have seen pictures of people swimming in the lake. They used to put a floating bathhouse out in the summer for bathers to rest at when crossing the lake. A beautiful lake in the midst of a beautiful park. All created by man, as nature had dealt Regina a cruel hand in the scenery category. Then, in the 50s, some moron civic planner decided that the city needed some bird life to make the lake and park more natural like. So they rounded up and brought to the mighty Wascana, that pristine jewel of the praries, a flock of those Gawd awful poop factories with wings called Canada Geese. The geese thrived on the Wascana. They couldn't be hunted, the powerhouse kept part of the lake open year round, and in the winter, the parks people even fed the damned things. At one time, we had a herd of over a thousand of the nasty creatures, all spewing what seemed like twice their weight in goose poop every day. The lake has filled up with shite. the lawns of the park can no longer be walked on in bare feet, and the place smells so foul that there is no enjoyment in being there. The only consolation is that the Provincial Legislature, the home of those who would control our thoughts and pass our laws is located right in the midst of this wasteland. Oh yes, from a distance, with the windows of the car rolled up, the park surrounding the jewel of the Saskatchewan plains looks inviting, but the truth is, those vermin that we call the Canada Goose have run havoc on what we have created here, and has spoiled the place for all who would enjoy the respite of a relaxing park in the midst of a tawdry little city, in the middle of an arid plain that has nothing to offer man or beast. Yer welcome William Robb - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
