Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Canada Geese

Canada Geese often get a bad rap.  I've even been known to be fairly critical of the species myself.  But they have a lot going for themselves, and perhaps we should pay them more respect.  I was checking out the harbour in Meaford last week, and quickly realized that the geese were pairing up for nesting season.

We've lived near populations of Canada Geese for some years, and the sudden break down of the flock that spent the winter together, into pairs who go off to find nesting sites, is one of the marks of spring arriving.  Canada Geese pairs mate for life, start breeding in their second year, and can live for over 20 years.

They're also very territorial, and the males defend their territory noisily.  This is aftermath of the little drama I witnessed in the harbour, but I was just too late to get a photo of the confrontation when this annoyed male flew across to chase away the pair above.  They can be quite aggressive!

He then swam rapidly back to his mate on the far side of the docks, by the stone breakwall.  I can't believe they would nest among these rocks, 50 feet from the sailboats, but Canada Geese have adapted well to urban areas and the presence of people.  And of course we create excellent goose habitat, like urban parks and golf courses.  Why blame the goose?

Meanwhile, the first pair swam happily on to another corner, peace momentarily restored.   Geese are herbivorous, so grass they can graze, preferably right beside the water, is ideal for them.  And of course we humans do get annoyed at the droppings they leave behind.  Often, just a narrow barrier of taller vegetation at the edge of the water would be enough to keep them off the grass, because they lose their flight feathers in the annual molt during nesting season, and have to be able to walk to the water to escape predators.

And behind the geese I spotted another interesting bird, a Horned Grebe in winter plumage.

It looked downright bedraggled, but then it dives for food, so its feathers are not light and fluffy.  I was surprised at how clearly the red eye stood out.

The little Grebe swimming by did not bother the geese at all, but let it be another goose and then there's trouble!  Male geese help guard the nest during incubation, and will attack people who come too close, again with lots of noise.  And families of geese will gather their goslings together to raise them after they are hatched.  Meanwhile, the 'teenager' geese who haven't mated yet, form separate flocks, and just make a lot of noise.

 Here a group that looked like unmated 'teenagers were resting on one of the docks.

Outside the breakwall you certainly wouldn't find geese nesting!  The waves were rolling in steadily on that day.  But perhaps inside the protected harbour they do nest successfully in spite of all the boats and people.  I'll have to watch for that later in the season.

But on that day the harbour was deserted; no boats in the water yet except the one lonely fishing tug.

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20 comments:

  1. Love the geese information and photos. The colours of the water are incredible.

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  2. So gorgeous. Thanks for sharing these. Carol

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  3. I saw the first Canada geese of the season on the 19th. I don't know if they were just stopping by while going further north though, or if these are the regulars here through to fall.

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  4. The Geese are a beautiful looking bird.

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  5. Great series of the Canada Geese.Horned Grebe is a very interesting bird.

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  6. Hello, great shots of the Geese. The Grebe is one of my favorites. Happy Wednesday, enjoy your day!

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  7. Lovely photos ! We have about 5 couples each year nest on the banks of our river , they are lovely in flight but nasty on ground whether they are defending the nests or not did you know they have two sets of razor sharp teeth in those beaks yup I was bit by one when I was a kid and it took a chunk out of me I was feeding them at a pond and it got aggressive over the food and that's why in lots of parks in Ontario now they have do not feed the geese signs as there have been many goose attacks because of it and when a 30 to 40 pound bird is flying at you hissing with a wing span of 6 to 7 feet it is scary . Thanks for sharing , Have a good day !

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  8. Love the geese. I just had two posts in a row about Canada geese. I was charged by one once when I got too close. I ran! :-)

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  9. the Canadian geese do get a bad rap, especially in this area. we have thousands and they do make a mess on sports fields and parks...companies have been formed to try to control them, they have not been successful. they are beautiful in the water, graceful when swimming....and awesome to photograph. i like they because they don't generally fly off!!!

    pretty lighthouse, we have a lot of those in new jersey!!!

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  10. Wonderful pictures. These geese are so huge, it's a wonder they can get those bellies off the water to fly.

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  11. Lovely photo's ... the water is so blue too.

    All the best Jan

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  12. I always tend to like Canada Geese a lot...even if they do make a mess. Where I grew up, it was really special if we heard/seen geese going over. Actually, I don't remember the hearing them. They were way, way high up. I can remember running to tell my mom to come look!

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  13. I enjoy the Canada Geese at our state park but then again I don't frequent the beach . . .

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  14. I know Canada Geese get a bad rap but they are very beautiful birds. I especially love their calls and flight. It's natural art!

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  15. I've always liked the geese even though a lot people don't.
    Your pictures of them are very good indeed and the water is such a pretty color.

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  16. I've always liked Canada Geese & they are so much fun to photograph especially if you can catch them in flight or catch them just taking flight or landing.

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  17. The Canada Geese are lovely, as are the Grebes. Beautiful images.

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  18. As you might well imagine, I am delighted by this change in perspective towards this wonderful species, a tough bird, a survivor, stalwart, a dedicated defender of family - eminently Canadian don't you think?

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  19. We now have Canada geese that stay year round. I have always been a fan of them and did try to paint them once on canvas. You visit to the lake always gives you such a place of beauty. They remind me of my visits to Lake Superior, Lake Michigan and even the shoreline of the Atlantic ocean. The horned grebe is always fun to see as the dart about.

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