AND THEN THERE WERE EIGHT!

A ritual of spring at our pond is the arrival of a certain pair of Canadian geese each year.  A few weeks of sharing our world with them and dodging scat when walking around the pond doesn't bother us too much.

Whether they both return, or just one with a new mate, is hard to tell, but two weeks ago our geese came home again to nest.  This year the geese picked their nesting location in the exact same spot as they did last spring.


When the pair arrived, they continually honked and chased off all other geese that landed on the pond until they had their wish, the pond all to themselves.  After several days of staking their territory and guarding it faithfully, the female goose began nesting.  Within a day or two, there were eight eggs in the nest, quite an accomplishment in such a short time.  Usually geese lay one egg per day until they are done, so this was highly unusual.  I guess you could call our goose a good layer!

Now the setting has begun and the female goose begins her long vigil. If we walk near the nesting goose, she lays her head down and settles in close to the ground to hide herself, the nest, and all, while the male goose swims back and forth nearby and attempts to lead us away from the area.  Just as before the eggs were laid, if any other geese land nearby, they are confronted quickly with honking, thrashing, and wing flapping until they fly away.

When the baby geese finally hatch, in about one month, the little yellow fuzzy goslings will learn to swim with Mom and Pop by following close between them, often swimming in single file.  After a few short days of paddling, and gaining strength, the whole family will disappear by slowly slipping down into Tom's Creek and drifting away... until next spring when thoughts of nesting return again.

Special thanks to the Wolfle Wolves for being my little editors.  You kids rock!