Monday, May 12, 2008

Spring Time

Sometimes I try to scare large flocks of birds, especially all the Canadian geese around here. I used to think they were cool, but they seem to be everywhere and that makes it a little less cool. This sentiment was reinforced when I visited my brother's home in Chicago, where some 100,000 petulant poopy Geese reside. They try to attack rather then flee and seem to forget to clean up their poop, which abounds everywhere.

So on a rainy day on the way home a few days ago, I was inclined to drive through a puddle and possible splash a small gaggle of geese. I stop at the last second as I saw that there were a few baby goslings with them. I began seeing them each morning on the way to work. It took me about a week to drive by them with my camera in the car.

It so sooo cute. It was a chilly morning and three of the four goslings were huddle together while the other was foraging.

Then last night as I went to get milk from the gas station, yes the gas station, (Its sad that the milk is cheaper then the gas, or is it. Maybe its just sad all together), I saw a two geese crossing the street with three babies. I watched them thinking one died, but then saw on the other side of the street the other family.

Now this family has a weird dynamic. The new family is typical, three kids a mom and a dad. The first family I saw has four kids, which is a lot but acceptable, but there are three parents. Two normal and one white goose that is always with the babies. I'm not sure if they have two dads and a mom or vice versa, or a grandma or if the two geese got divorced and one has visitation or if one is birth mother making an adoption transition. It seems weird to me. I want to know how this white goose fits in. Anyway, the baby geese are adorable.

6 comments:

Matt said...

Love baby geese, hate Spring. All I do is sneeze and itch and sneeze and itch some more. When I'm doing that I'm heavily medicated which makes for interesting conversations.

FOX said...

OK since I am at the Y, I have a subscription to Jstor. So I am sending you a pdf on the identification of sex and age of Canadian Geese. Although your stray goose is a woman.

Enjoy! The great chart is on pg 483 and their identification has most excellent P values!

It is so cool that you stop to see geese. That is a cool quality about you!!!!!

Linz said...

Soo cute!

Foot Handle Pete said...

It's probably a nanny goose, those darn gooslings really take it out of you.

Anonymous said...

Well, since I read this from a lovely western state that has many "extra wives" living within it's limits. I'm thinking we can send the geese to Texas and they will sort out the oddities. We here in UT just try to do our best to not wonder why if something is against the law "they" don't just round em' all up and prosecute!Was that too harsh. Maybe that is a topic for Hot Tuesday...

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