Went out to take more photos of the eagles nest on Monday only to be turned away by a street paving job that blocked the trail entrance. So I headed to a park near my house to see what was there. I found lots and lots and lots of fuzzy Canada Geese goslings plus their ever vigilant eagle-eyed parents. I must have seen at least 50 babies with about 20 adults taking turns on keeping watch.
Given the craziness and stress most of us are dealing with, I thought we all could use a little soft fuzzy babies in our lives.
The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the phenological patterns that are quietly unwinding around us. To have the Daily Bucket in your Activity Stream, visit Backyard Science’s profile page and click on Follow.
But let’s include some Canada Goose facts from the Intertubes: thank you Audubon, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Sibley’s Field Guide, etc.
The Canada Goose is one of the largest waterfowl in the world weighing up to 10 pounds. Most distinctive feature is the black head with the wide white chinstrap. The bills, legs and feet are black. There are several subspecies.
They are extremely common and widespread throughout the United States and Canada. They have both migratory and year-round populations. They can be found near lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, marshes, farmland, parks, golf courses, lawns, etc. They do well in both urban and rural areas and have adapted well to coexisting with people.
Migratory flocks are known for their distinctive “V’ shape and loud honking. They fly from Canada down to the southern states in the fall along the three major flyways. There’s even a cute movie “Fly Away Home” about a little Canadian girl who raises a clutch of abandoned babies and teaches them how to migrate.
Once threatened due to hunting, they bounced back from a low population of less than 300,000 in the 1920s to one exceeding 5 million today.
Let’s see some more baby photos:
it was interesting to watch the adults. There were always at least two parents overseeing the entire gang of goslings. A number of other geese were feeding in the grass or were out on the pond. About every 20 minutes, an adult would walk up to the group and one of the babysitters would head out to graze — a very subtle rotation.
Of course, I saw a few other birds during my short visit.
There were plenty of turtles out.
I saw plenty of tree swallows and red-winged blackbirds but they would not participate in photography. The turkey vultures and crows also kept their distance but I saw them.
One more cute baby picture:
EAGLET UPDATE: After reviewing the eagle cam video, they determined that the eaglet was pushed out of the nest by one of its siblings. It was transferred to another rescue facility at Lake Tahoe where they have a foster mom.
Even though we had warm 80+ degree days this week, we are expecting a late spring storm today dropping another inch of rain on the valley and as much as 5-10 inches of snow on the tops of the Sierra peaks with the temps dropping 20 degrees. Then a gradual climb back to the 80+s by the end of next week.
What’s up in your neck of the woods?