Hi Again..............We had a great time yesterday. Bill & Barbara, Mary Ellen, Jon, LeDon, Mike, Janet, and Marilynn were the attendees. We sat at a big round table in the corner with windows looking out to the lake. The temperature + the winds were prohibitive for sitting on the deck. We were privy to witness something very special.
When we arrived, immediately outside our window, only a few feet from the water, a female Canada Goose was putting the final touches on her nest. The top layer consisted of down she pulled from her own body. The gander was standing guard about twenty feet away. A few minutes later mamma nestled down in her nest and within about fifteen minutes she stood up and proudly displayed seven eggs she had just laid!! WOW! Good job, we said! So hoping the eggs survive, we're going to be Godparents in 25 - 30 days!!! I'm going to see if I can get one of us to go over each day from April 28th - May 2nd to check on the hatching. I'm attaching the incubation information for anyone that is interested. I'm a nature freak, so this stuff is right up my alley!!
***************************************************************************************************
The family bond begins at the nest. Canada Geese mate for life. In Kansas, they begin to build their nest as early as mid-March. The nest is a large mound of vegetation such as grass and cattail stems lined with down. It is usually located within sight of water. Canada Geese will also use nesting platforms provided by people. If you have a pond and want to make one of these, you can find plans by clicking here. 4 to 7 eggs make up a typical clutch and incubation is done solely by the female. The male (gander) zealously guards the nest and will attack any intruders. Incubation takes 25 to 30 days and the goslings are led to water within a day after hatching.
A protective mother with her new brood.
No comments:
Post a Comment