Sometimes the substitute mail carriers didn't have time to read our sign and would put mail inside the creel, one time on top of eggs!! So, I had to wire the thing closed. The next year I moved the creel to the back porch. So far we have not had any takers. I've seen Bewick's go in and out checking it out but apparently they like to be where more action is, and maybe to check out what we get in the mail.

Well, I just hope the Progresso Light Chicken Noodle Soup (130 calories per can) is low in sodium.

And, you once again managed to get beautiful shots using the less than beautiful light.

I’m doing a bit better today and am just resting. I found some great cycling shoes at REI which I can return if they don’t work out and I was able to pay for them with a dividend I we got from REI. Scott will post a picture of them tomorrow. They aren’t purple but they do have some a little bit of teal trim.

Nice!

Sorry you’re not feeling well Rachael. I’m curious about which biking shoes you ended up getting. Did you find some purple ones? 🙂

When I viewed this photo, it fired off an olfactory memory of our very own forgotten cabbages....A wonderful and intoxicating scent I always associate with winter rides in Richmond, BC.

You noticed that too! That’s why I decided to keep both of these two photos.

The blurred one in the background is a nice addition to the photo.

Definitely intentional!

That’s a wonderful story! What a great house pet.

Yeppers.

We had Bewick's nest in the fishing creel on the front porch for two years in a row. This was the ad hoc mailbox so we had to put a sign above for the mail carriers to slip the mail inside the screen door instead. The wrens would call me when cats or other disturbing things invaded their space and I had to run out and chase the offenders away.

Here’s a longer answer than you might have expected. The two species together include at least 11 subspecies. 7 are Canada geese, and four are Cacklers. Only two of the Canadians regularly occur in Oregon, but all four of the cacklers do - but only in the winter. They winter here and breed in the far north. One of the Canada goose subspecies is the lesser Canada goose.

So, the short answer: yes, lesser Canada geese are a thing; but they’re not cackling geese.

Did these used to be called "Lesser Canada Goose" or some such thing?

I was thinking you both were wearing the same clothes, too, even the shoes, ha.