Goslings

I have written here several times about the wild animals I see from my deck on the north side of my house and the windows looking east. Deer and ducks are the most common, but I’ve also spotted a fox, rabbits, raccoons, an opossum, and a beaver. Within the past few months, the dominant animals have been two Canadian geese, apparently a gander and his goose. I watched them fly in from the north and fly back out at what seemed like random times. Recently, I noticed that they seemed to be staying close by, never leaving.

Then, about a week ago, I discovered why: they now have four goslings that scramble around after them in the water and on land. Commonly, I see the whole family sailing tranquilly across the pond in back of my house in a straight line, an adult goose leading followed by the four goslings in a line and the other adult goose bringing up the rear. They are peace and contentment incarnate.

I read that Canadian geese breed once a year and return to the same nesting area year after year. So maybe my geese will remain close by and produce more goslings next year at this time.