About Those Geese!
Because they are amusing and beautiful we have Canada geese. Because we are not always brilliant we have a pair of Canada geese and this is the time of year when geese sit on eggs. In order to enjoy the antics of these huge birds, we have to endure their territorial behavior for about six months of the year. Who knew they would decide to nest outside our garden room? It seemed so sweet in the beginning, Jezebel and Rowdy first selected then began to defend a spot under a window beside the chimney.
We foolishly thought that they trusted us, that it was a great honor that these birds deigned to nest right under our noses. In fact, they do not trust us and spend an inordinate amount of their time defending the nest against us as well as the ducks, cats, chickens, and hawks. A full-grown adult Canada goose is nothing to trifle with either. They are quick, strong, and fearless and do not run from a fight.
As the egg laying time approaches, the geese become ever more vigilant and aggressive and it’s impossible to walk out the back door into the garden. At least one or more geese will be stationed by the back door, banging on the glass with their beaks, D-double daring us to set foot into their demesne.
Some of the braver cats will attempt to get in the back door and end up losing tufts of fur. But fur is just an appetizer to these ferocious birds. It is skin they crave, tender human skin from the hands that feed them! It is bad enough when one goose is standing guard, usually a single bird can be backed down, just never turn your back on them. But, on those rare occasions, when both parents and last year’s single youngster are frolicking in the pond and you think the coast is clear , you discover exactly how fast and furious they can be.
These birds are capable of spotting a hunter hiding in a blind from a thousand feet, so it is nothing for them to spot us emerging from the house from a few hundred. All three birds rise majestically from the water, honking at full volume, and charge up the hill. Before one can even get to the gate they are coming under the fence, hissing, in full battle formation and lusting for blood.
On far too many occasions my hands and legs have been bitten and viciously twisted in those hard black beaks, leaving painful blood blisters behind. Once they latch on, the wings come into play, driven by massive breast muscles to slam into one’s body with astounding force. All the while the noise continues, a racket reminiscent of riot in a sheet metal factory.
This morning a sharp-shinned hawk made the mistake of thinking The Weyr might provide him with some breakfast. He flew down low to reconnoiter the situation. I learned of this when the geese set up a racket.
By the time I got outside, the geese were strutting around and honking loudly after the poor hawk, who was flying serious evasive patterns to avoid the flock of crows, swallows, and jays that were hot on his tail. The likelihood of a small raptor the size of a large pigeon taking on a 35-pound Canada goose is in the realm of the impossible. But Rowdy and Jezebel were not taking any chances. The more likely breakfast candidates, some bantam and full-size hens, took cover at the first loud honking alarm and did not emerge until all signs of danger were past.
I quickly withdrew also when Jezebel left her nest to fly at my legs. She battered at the glass door impotently until Rowdy relieved her and she returned to the six eggs.
Fortunately we are now on the short side of the incubation process. It takes about 23-30 days for the eggs to hatch and we are already at 15 days and counting. As soon as the last egg hatches, the proud parents will march the fluffy demon spawn down the hill to the pond where they will remain until late fall when the entire circus comes to town again.
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