Wish I had a photo....

...but, I am wondering how much true is to this winter hanging tough through a lot of March? I gotta admit that I am beginning to doubt what the "experts" (and I use that term loosely) are saying. They are talking, locally, about winter being "far from over." I don't know how much of that I am buying. I am starting to see some other signs......by Mother Nature.

And, we should all know that animals know nature better than a meteorologist thinks HE does. And, I am witnessing large flocks of geese starting to migrate around here. For over a week now, I have noticed flocks of about 50, some over 100, flying north.

Big deal, you say? Well, I am not seeing them just above the treetops, as if they are heading over to another pond or to their night spot to roost. I see that a lot around here, too, and they can fly south in spring and north in fall when doing that. It really means about squat.

However, currently, I am seeing them flying 500-1000 feet high. How am I guessing? Well, they are higher than the STL Arch, for sure, but lower than the cloud decks. And, I am also guessing an individual goose would be hard to spot anywhere over 1000 feet up. And, I can see individuals within a flock almost well enough to count them.

It is really neat to see them alternate the lead as they fly. They have a rotation, and you can also see them ripple as the wind currents hit them up there. And, of course, the honking. OMG, the honking. That is the only way I notice. I will be outside with the dog and hear the honking. I look up and can't see anything. I look higher, and there they are.......WAY up there.....and flying north.

Maybe I'm a dork for noticing this stuff, but I am telling you, it's how the Farmer's Almanac used to do things (watching nature's signals), and it's how the Indians knew what was going on, too. I probably should have lived back then.......but, I couldn't live without the internet.