The last time we were at the park was in January at the beginning of this year. For our recent visit we picked the perfect day as the temperature was hot but there was no humidity. It was also easy to get a parking spot. There were several spaces available.
Babies! Unfortunately, I couldn't get a closer shot as they were way too far out. I have been reading some interesting facts about them. Goslings have been known to follow just about anything that moves, from dogs to humans, mistaking them for their mother. The impressionable young use this skill to mimic the adults, learning how to swim just 24 hours after hatching. At only one day old they can dive 30 to 40 feet under water.
Parent geese teach their young how to fly when the goslings are two to three months old. The goslings will stay with their parents for the first year of their life and even migrate with the adults that year.
As the goslings continue to grow and become more independent of their parents, they may group together with other young geese. These groups, called "gang broods," can consist of up to 100 goslings.
I have always enjoyed being around the Canada goose and, just like the squirrels in our back yard, find them very entertaining. It's important to give them a respectful distance, even more so at this time of the year.
Canada geese aren't afraid to face a threat. If a parent goose feels a threat to their nest or goslings, they may attack. Stretching out their neck while hissing and honking loudly, serves as a warning to predators, along with biting and slapping with their wings.
We found these two later. They were rather sandy and I assumed that they had been ducking their heads under the water to feed. There were no goslings with them. Maybe later! An interesting thing I had not read before was that once a year, when the weather warms up, geese molt their feathers. During this 6-week period geese are unable to fly, leaving them vulnerable to predators including coyotes, foxes and raccoons. Water plays an important role in the safety of geese. They'll retreat into water if their warnings don't scare predators away.
More to follow later from our walk.
