Laguna Lake Park

My friend and I walked again at Laguna Lake a few days after the time of the preceding blog. We took the same abbreviated route as before, but found another path that looped back to the lake in a more interesting way through the fields.

There was absolutely no breeze, and the lake was completely still, smooth as glass, and reflecting everything--trees, houses, boats, docks, reeds, and tall grasses along the edge of the lake. So beautiful! I have never before seen the lake that still and smooth.

As we were going back to our car along the road by the lake, a big white goose was making a racket at the left side of the road, and another big white goose was marching across the road leading a combination of ducks, geese, and coots toward the lake.

As soon as they passed, we started to continue on, but the big goose on the left reprimanded us with loud squawks as a second, and larger, contingent of geese, ducks, and coots started acrose the road. It was exactly as if he were a crossing-guard saying, "Stop! You can't go yet!"

We waited respectfully while the second group of assorted birds made their way to the lake. The crossing guard followed, his job having been successfuly accomplished.

Neither of us had ever seen such a procession before, nor a pair of geese cooperating to make sure a whole bevy of different kinds of water birds got safely across a road and to their destination--the lake. I still laugh at the thought of the crossing-guard's peremptory honks. He did a perfect job. It was so clear what he meant when he stopped us, and the goose that led the procession also knew exactly what her job was.

What fascinated me was the cooperation happening between not only the two geese, but between them and the other types of birds that were being led. I was not aware that this ever happened.

I am even further amazed and admiring that the goose "crossing-guard" could communicate so clearly, not just to different birds, but to a completely different species--humans.

Now if only humans could do as good a job of cooperating, in spite of their differences, as these birds did!