This time of year, I always hear them before I see them. In the late afternoon when I'm working in the yard I hear their unmistakable honking. I look up at my patch of sky, hoping their flight path will bring them low over our house. Every now and then it does.
Lately I've been getting reacquainted with Kinnickinnic State Park. When we first moved to River Falls I used to go there to watch the sunrise before my morning commute. A couple of days ago I had some time after work and decided to pay a visit.
I got to the park after the sun had set. The river (which only a few months ago was crawling with boats) was perfectly still. As I walked the shoreline where the Kinnickinnic and St. Croix meet, I heard these geese behind me. I managed to turn around just in time to witness their formation flying downstream over the St. Croix River valley.