One reason I love Cavendish Grove is the bird life in the basin every spring. Two couples of Canada geese are nesting there this year and two pairs of ducks as well.
Two Northern shovelers rested among last year’s bulrushes. The male is brightly coloured with a long scoop-like beak.
The female has a similar shaped orange coloured beak and brown plumage which looks like it was hand painted around the perimeter of the feathers.
A pair of Gadwalls also shared the pond. They were more shy than the shovelers and were harder to photograph. The female’s feathers are similar to the female shoveler.
The male is more distinctive with fine patterns and blocks of colour such as grey and black.
On an island in the pond, a goose sat on her nest.
We guessed the bird nearby was the gander. He stood sentinel duty, barely moving a muscle.
Later, after our walk through the Dunelands down by the beach, we walked past the gander and he hissed at my husband and me.
It was our first encounter with a hissing gander and we hadn’t approached or threatened him.
Two other geese were nearby in the high grass. They didn’t bother with us.
We plan to go back to see the little avian community in the Grove soon, hoping to see ducklings or goslings.