"dead" of winter

Rainy. The other day I was driving to Proctor along the Otter Creek. I came upon this scene. There were hundreds of Canada Geese. I'd never seen anything like this before. I stopped to take a photo. The place was so vibrant and alive with the sights and sounds of wildness. Three ducks went flying over in their hell bent for leather manner. There was even some kind of raptor skulking around along the fringes. It is thrilling to experience these concentrations of life during the "dead" of winter.
I asked about it at work, and was told that during winters when there are patches of open water, ducks and geese will stay around. It was wonderful to see.