Wren, Geese, Snow

Last night we got a little snow, barely enough to cover the roads. I stood at the window this morning and watched the birds at the feeders and the geese out on the lake.

Here the Carolina wren is defending it's supply of suet. The photo was a surprise because I had focused on him sitting on the rail and just as I pressed the button, another bird darted in toward the food but was chased off in an instant.

Immediately it was over and he calmly posed on the rail. Birds have little altercations all the time, usually very brief ones like this.

The lake is mostly frozen except for a pond of open water near the middle. The geese like to sit around this pond, occasionally swimming in it. They don't mind the cold, and I suppose this is a good defensive position. If some predator dared to come out on the ice, the geese could get in the water or fly away.