Surprising Visitors this Winter

Trumpeter swans, mallards and ducks
Egyptian Goose
Grebe
Grebe & ducks

Over the past few months, we have had a few surprising visitors to the farm...I guess more specifically, to our pond.  It began with five trumpeter swans visiting for a day.  I couldn't get close so this fuzzy picture was all I could capture.  You can tell how large they were by comparing them to our white ducks on the left side of the pond.  The black spots are mallards.

Next, we had an Egyptian Goose show up. This one stayed two days and enjoyed eating the feed with our domestic white ducks and the hundred or so mallards that come every winter.

Every spring, two Hooded Mergansers come to say hello for a day or two.  So far, we have had one visitor, but I am expecting more.  It's still early.

On Easter Sunday, I had the great joy of watching two grebe (I think that's what they were) dive and swim and dive some more.  They can stay under water for more than 30 seconds and you never know where they will pop up.  While we were enjoying these water fowl, a mink slipped along the side of the pond and got a fish.  It reminded me of an otter when it turned on its back in the water for a second with the fish in its paws.

I don't know if you can tell, but I not only love alpacas, but I just enjoy watching all of God's creatures...ok, almost all.  I can't wait to see what shows up next!