Never realized these Canadians were so feisty!

Tonight the nasty weather broke for a short time giving us a calm evening with no rain.  Although this break only lasted a couple hours we took advantage of it and converged on a nearby pond in hopes of capturing some images of the resident ducks.  Apparently we weren't as stealthy as we should have been because we kicked out a handful of Woodies before we could even get in camera range.  All was not lost though. 

Typically we don't get too excited about watching Canadian Geese because they are so abundant and usually easy subjects.  Tonight was an exception.  As we watched a pair of mates, suddenly they erupted in a flurry of honking and carrying on.  We weren't sure what was going on until we observed two others circling and looking for a spot to come in for a landing.  They no sooner landed and the other two headed directly at them and the fighting immediately ensued.  We had never witnessed such aggressive fighting among two separate pairs of geese.  The water erupted into an explosive spray and the honking broke the silence of the evening.  They were absolutely doing battle and bit at each other violently until the second pair realized they were outgunned and took to the air.  Apparently the first pair were protecting their nesting area and they were prepared to do whatever necessary to keep others away.  It was absolutely spectacular to watch.

 The battle begins!

 And the fighting continues......

Looks like these two admitted defeat and headed for the sky.  They honked as they went by!