There’s a new sheriff in town!

Lake Antrim, formed by a swelling of the Mahwah River, is a haven for Canada Geese. Now let’s be honest. There are too many of them, they’re messy, noisy and often mean. But, you have to deal with them if you want to enjoy all that the lake has to offer. Nice scenery, well-maintained landscaping, and peaceful benches for reading or snoozing.

In spite of the Goose-ance, I often find myself there, looking for photographic opportunities, or just relaxing in the fresh air. In fact, one of my favorite photos is one I took of the nearby municipal pool, off-season. The entire gaggle was hanging out at poolside, right under the “Members Only” sign.

Lately, though, the geese seem to have disappeared. Each day, I pass the lake on my way to wherever, and the geese are nowhere to be found. So, I decided to investigate. As I pulled into the parking lot, nothing seemed out of place. However, as I approached the shoreline, I saw a huge swan gliding slowly in the middle of the lake. I’ve read that swans can be aggressive and nasty, but this one must have been the Swandam Hussein of his species. I was impressed that a single “man in white” had managed to chase away all the ruffians and rowdies in so short a time.

Over the next few days, I continued to see him, patrolling on the lake, as if the entire body of water belonged to him, exuding attitude and confidence. Maybe I’m on to something here. Instead of hiring dogs to chase away the geese, perhaps we should form a Swan Brigade!

Eventually, our Lone Peacekeeper flew off into the sunset, headed for parts unknown, and the Geese are beginning to return. The other day, as I was enjoying our unusually warm December weather, I could have sworn I overheard one say, “Who WAS that intruder?”

I laughed out loud, because I myself was thinking, “Thank you masked Swan!”