Wildlife revisited

There's something really calming about watching a stream of water. I stop to watch the creek on my way to or from school almost everyday and it always has a relaxing effect. The creek runs from downtown to the bay, yet it seems so peaceful.

Odd thing: a lot of birds that have usually flown to warmer climates are still around. I've been seeing three pairs of Mallards and a smaller bird, which I haven't identified, hanging around in the creek. I used to mark the beginning of spring with the arrival of a pair of mallards that used to hang out in my swimming pool at the beginning of March. Now, the mallards aren't even leaving for the winter. (Btw: mallards in the pool are not good. Cute until they start pooping everywhere. I used to have to chase them away by turning a hose on them).

You may notice as you drive by Tam High that a lot of Canada Geese (big grey birds with black necks) are still around, too. These birds usually migrate to Central and South America, but many of them don't anymore. You may think that this is due to global warming, but most experts don't think this is the reason. Instead, they believe the geese simply stop when they find a good food and water supply. As a result, you can find geese on athletic fields, which are watered regularly, and on golf courses, which, in addition to being watered all the time, have a lot of ponds which are full of stuff geese like to eat.

The geese have become such a problem at golf courses that many of have statues of coyotes and other hunters of geese scattered around the grounds to scare them away. This is only partially effective, for the geese avoid the statues simply by hanging out in places where there aren't any.