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Monday 27 May 2019

A family of geese

We have seen a nesting goose at Cavendish Grove every spring for a few years now. However we were never lucky enough to see the goslings. This year my husband and I decided to keep checking back until we saw them.


Nine days after our first visit this year, we found a family of geese on the island in the pond where the goose was nesting the week before. The gander kept watch for humans and other predators, being very alert to every movement nearby. 




The goose was able to relax while the gander was the sentinel.





The five goslings were balls of lemon, grey-black fluff. 





They were near their mother at the back of the island. The goose moved back to the downy nest and gradually, the goslings all made their way back to their mother.





Meanwhile the gander had a position away from the goose and goslings on the island, standing when anyone stopped to observe his little family, resting if there weren’t any people nearby. He had an aggressive stance if he felt threatened.





The gander has a damaged foot, having lost part of the webbing and the toes. The bird appears to have adapted to the loss on land. I wonder if it affects him when he is in water? 





We will check in on the little family again to watch the growth of the goslings.



17 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Hello,

Love the cute goose family. The goslings are adorable. Wonderful photos.

Enjoy your day, wishing you a happy new week!

DJan said...

They are adorable. I love to see those little balls of fluff and hope they all grow into adults. Thanks for showing me these cuties. :-)

John's Island said...

Hi Marie, I'm happy to see that you were able to get some pictures of the little goslings! They are cute as they can be. And your photos are excellent. I found goslings a challenge to photo because they are like a little ball of fuzz and it isn't that easy to get a perfect focus. Congrats on your snaps! Another thing I like is the way you have located the nest. I have not been able to find a nest for any of the geese at Green Lake. In your first photo I see the goose still on the nest with the goslings gathered nearby. I wonder ... do you think there was still another one on the way? Also, did you notice the gander has been banded on that leg with damaged foot? It would be cool to know what kind of information is recorded on him. But that makes me smile because I sure don't know enough about handling birds to get close enough to him to read the ID number. :-)

Tabor said...

What fun. Make sure you keep a safe distance as those necks can wack and those bills can nip.

William Kendall said...

It won't take those goslings long to grow up as big as their parents.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Lovely photos.The goslings are so cute. I like how the gander is so protective of his family. I had one once chase my car as I was driving along the road slowly. Sure gave me a good laugh.

Elephant's Child said...

What fuzzy little charmers.
I love their protective parents and hope (a lot) that the father continues to adapt to his disability.

Jenn said...

They are everywhere right now and they seem to nest so close to busy roads here. Had to stop just this morning to let a family with 6 babies cross a major road!

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Oh my gosh how cute are the Gosling's 💛 I love this family Marie, I hope they all stay safe there ✨

Laurel Wood said...

Precious pics.

Anvilcloud said...

I am feeling a little bit sorry for the old gander, but I guess he has fulfilled his destiny in life by passing on his genes.

Barbara said...

The ducklings are precious. Wonderful pictures. And the male with his missing toe/web is amazing. I wish my Dad was still alive so I could show him. He was a hunter and I never liked it but he also had a respect for nature and the wild.

Joanne Noragon said...

That goose is quite vigilant in that first picture, and the last. Just short of attack.

Catarina said...

The goslings are so cute!
This is a happy family.
: )

jenny_o said...

What wonderful photos, Marie! Thanks so much for sharing them. The instinct to raise and protect young is so strong in many species, isn't it? It's moving to see it in action.

Debbie said...

wonderful pictures, the goslings are adorable!!!

Retired Knitter said...

Do you have problem with predators? I worked in a place with a small pond - lots of ducks reproduced there. Every April families of 10-12 ducklings could be found following their mom to the pond. It was so cute. But over time those ducklings would be reduced to about 3 or 4. I commented on it and was told that hawks sometimes picked the babies off. :-(. Sad but that is nature.

They sure are cute and such a great color.