June 12, 2007
Baby Geese on the Loop
Early June is a wonderful time to be on “the loop,” that lovely bike path from the Art Museum up over the Falls Bridge and back across the river below the Waterworks. The trees are now fully leafed out but still that fresh shade of green. Yellow Warblers and Baltimore Orioles sing from the brush and treetops. Now is the time when the first spring babies make their appearance, the goslings of Canada Geese.
Does nature offer anything more adorable than a little baby goose? I must have encountered twenty family groups along the west bank on my ride yesterday. The vigilant parents seemed perturbed when I rode close by and hissed with mouth agape. I know it’s not proper to anthropomorphize, but I have an affinity for animals that actively defend their offspring. Geese coincide the molting of their flight feathers with the hatch of their young; they cannot fly away, they must stand and fight.
I’ve often heard people criticize the geese for being lazy and no longer migrating. I hope people realize it was the outlawing the use of live decoys in the 1930s and the subsequent release of flocks of feral geese and the introduction of non-migratory populations by start game agencies that has given us our plethora of lazy geese. I think people should welcome these handsome birds and their adorable offspring, maybe even make a special trip to the river to see the goslings before they grow up.
(no responses)
June 12, 2007, 11:08 am
Brennen says:
The many goslings along the loop path are just too cute. A word of warning, however. Be careful not to get between the mama and her babies. I once accidentally did exactly that, and was rewarded with an angry goose attacking my arm as I attempted to stay upright on my bike.
June 12, 2007, 11:08 am
Libby says:
Oh yeah, those Canada Geese are nasty. They’ll chase you too. Even my dog is affraid of them!
June 12, 2007, 11:08 am
Sue Maska says:
Also note that some geese don’t have any gooslings this year. There’s an additive put into food that the geese and the pigeons have access to that creates a weak yolk membrane. Most people enjoy the geese and the babies too. But since they don’t have any predators, we do need to find ways to control their populations.
June 12, 2007, 11:08 am
Tony Pointless says:
we need more coyotes in Fairmount Park!
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