The Forest Preserve along the Fox River in Geneva, Illinois is home to a large number of geese. There are also egrets, blue herons, osprey, eagles, pileated woodpeckers and numerous other birds. The bird population has been steadily increasing since DDT was banned some decades ago!                      
 
Yesterday on my evening walk along the river I met a couple who are around my age and grew up in this area. When they were kids the corn was harvested by hand. Now this process is automated and there is more ‘waste’ left in the fields, about one percent.  The geese feed on this in the winter. This food, combined with warmer winters now makes it possible for the birds to stay here year round. So while I had assumed the geese were transient and only here through the summer, it turns out they are permanent residents. Never the less they were transiting the whole time I watched them so I am including them in this weeks WP Photo Challenge: Transients