Gosling Protection: On High Alert
A Year of Noticing - Day 226
This evening as I was walking by a water retention pond while one of my children was at their soccer practice, I noticed the first goslings of the season! These tiny little baby Canada geese were swimming in a steady line, quietly and smoothly near shore between two adult geese. Sometimes geese can be loud and vocal, but in this moment, they were gliding along so quietly I hardly noticed them across the pond.
It seemed early to see goslings (though I have never noticed the exact date before), but as I explored a little more about the goose reproduction, I learned that most eggs hatch after 28 days and the goslings typically leave the nest for the first swim within a day or two! That is pretty remarkable!
I wondered if these were some freshly hatched goslings, especially when one of the parents went on attack when another goose landed on the water nearby!
One goose kept honking and hissing and chasing another one away from the territory, and I wondered if it was simply being very protective of the young ones… especially if they were newly hatched and out for the first swim and exploring the pond, and the rocks nearby. It was quite the scene, an idyllic, peaceful setting sun along with a goose battleground in the middle of the pond!
While on shore, the goslings explored with some of the other adult geese watching on and staying close by. Within a few moments, the “intruder” goose flew off, and with the perceived threat now gone, the calm and quiet on the pond returned.
xo
I noticed the first Canada geese returning in mid-March…
