Sound of Honking: Seasonal Migration Return
A Year of Noticing - Day 175
Do I hear what I think I’m hearing? Could it be?
Two days ago, I thought I heard the sound of Canada geese returning after their winter migration… I scanned the sky to see if I might also catch a glimpse of them flying to confirm my suspicions!
Yes! There were two lone geese flying, but surely this means that the warmer weather of spring must be also arriving soon! Moments later I saw another four geese flying overhead!
It seems early, everything is still frozen, and I wonder where they might find open water or food with this early return. Seeing these geese fills me with such hope!!
Their departure (which I’ve noted often coincides with the first long weekend in September), signals the shifting into the darker, colder time of year… but at this time of year it feels like the celebratory awakening of spring!
Today I actually saw a small flock on the frozen “lakes” that exist in all the fields in parks as the freeze-melt cycle continues, depending on the temperatures of the day.
I’m not sure if they actually found any open water on this field, or were practicing their skating skills behind the arena!
Noticing the geese return this year, has me curious about if this is early, later or at the same time they return in other years, and what beckons them back north. I’ve become increasingly curious about the patterns of the year.
I recently heard about a book called, “Nature’s Calendar: The British Year in 72 Seasons”, which was inspired by a traditional Japanese calendar with new meanings or short seasons every 4-5 days. Both celebrate some of the fleeting phenomenons that occur in the natural world, that reflect natural occurences and folklore of the areas where they were developed.
I’ve wondered what a 72 season calendar might include in the Prairies of Canada, and if many of the patterns remain consistent, or if there are some shifts that are occurring within the seasons. Perhaps we are in the 4-5 day season of “return of the geese”, or “early, brave geese skate on frozen puddles”, however I would need to observe over a few years to see if this pattern indeed exists.
It is an interesting invitation to observe and document some patterns, and it has also made me very curious about more stories and traditional teachings about these lands where I live, what are other patterns of animals, buds, winds, or other brief seasonal shifts have been observed and witnessed for millenia?
What are you noticing about this short 4-5 day season around the lands you live on, steward, nurture and explore?
xo
PS… the last time I saw the final flocks of geese flying was 115 days ago:)
The Season of Falinter?
Instead of the crunch of crispy, dried, fallen leaves beneath our feet this morning, we noticed that the frozen leaf piles in the park provided another textured experience. A bit of a crunch, and also you sink a little - but not as far as when they are dried!