They're back! Canada Geese disappear from the lake during August for their annual molt. They can't fly until their feathers grow back so they relocate to a spot where food is plentiful and predators are few. The geese always return around Labor Day so they're right on schedule.
Although it's been nice to walk into the backyard without worrying about angry geese attacking or stepping in goose poop, I'm still glad to see them cavorting on the lake again!
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The goslings are almost grown and are getting their adult coloring. Sadly, one disappeared over the weekend, leaving three. I don't know what happened--whether it fell prey to a predator or sickness. I always hope that once they get bigger, they'll be safe, but that' not nature's way. Mother and Father geese did a great job raising their family. It was only about a month ago that they were just yellow fluffy babies.
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More excitement! Bright and early this morning Mother and Father Goose showed off their 4 newly hatched goslings. The backyard was alive with activity as the Canada Goose family was joined by Mama Mallard and her 11 ducklings. Congrats to Mother Goose who incubated her eggs in an open nest for 28 days through rain, cold, and storms.
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Here are the three goslings with Dad--all grown up with their full Canada Goose coloring. It seems like only yesterday there were five fluffs of grey down. Two disappeared within the first couple of weeks, but Mother and Father Goose deserve kudos for their diligent parenting of the remaining three. Now the babies are big, healthy geese, ready to make their way in the world.
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The Canada Goslings are about 6 weeks old and almost grown. You can see the beginnings of their adult coloring around the tail. Even though the three youngster are almost as big as their parents, Mom and Dad still go everywhere with them and keep a watchful eye. It's a relief that they've escaped the dangers of the wild and grown from little fluffs of down to robust juveniles. That's a tribute to the diligence of Goose parents--and maybe a tiny bit to the nutritious birdseed and tender grass in my backyard.
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The three remaining goslings are now about 3 1/2 weeks old and have grown to the size of ducks. The whole family visits several times a day to forage under the bird feeders. Even though the goslings are showing a little more independence, Mother and Father Goose still keep a watchful eye on their brood.
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I haven't seen the goose family in the backyard for a few days, so I was a little worried. But this morning they made a rare foray into the front yard. The three remaining goslings appear to be doing well and growing by leaps and bounds. They are about 2 1/2 weeks old now.
This is what they looked like when they were first hatched so you can see how much they've grown.
Mother and Father Goose are ever vigilant and take good care of their babies so I'm hoping these three will stay safe.
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Some days there doesn't seem to be much happening in the yard, but yesterday I was amazed at the activity. We had a nice early morning rain and all sorts of hungry creatures showed up. The deer grazed around the lake and a Heron and a couple of ducks looked for a meal.
The geese family came to forage under the feeders.
A nicely camoflagued rabbit nibbled grasses in the natural area by the lake.
A squirrel hoped to raid the mealworm dish.
And a vivid anole showed off his dewlap.
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It was a week ago that I first spotted the 5 newly hatched Canada Goslings. Sadly, there are only three left. It's hard to say what happened to the other two--maybe despite the vigilance of the parents, a predator got them or maybe they were ill. Canada Geese grow quickly so you can see how they've changed in just a week. I'm hoping the these downy babies will stay safe.
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Today Mother and Father Goose brought their 5 newly hatched goslings to my yard. Aren't these downy babies precious--and smart, too. They quickly learned the art of foraging under the bird feeders. I was right to suspect the goose hanging out all alone meant his mate was on the nest. So even though it's sad that goose I was watching had to abandon her nest, I'm thrilled to see these five.
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