The naturalists were equipped with their telescopes to give us very clear views of the wildlife. My Walmart binoculars were way out of the league! The birds, unlike the inexperienced birders, were oblivious to the cold.  We watched as one group “played” and paddled, dipping and constantly changing positions in the group. Well, who knows, maybe they were paddling to stay warm. We were fortunate to see lots of ducks as well as gulls and Canada geese.

We were so impressed with the extent of the knowledge of our guides who were able to tell us the names, nomenclature, descriptions, behaviour, and migratory paths of the birds.  Though the names of some of the birds escape some of us now, we were left with a reverent and lasting memory of the naturalists’ passion, knowledge and respect for wildlife and nature.