Spring (and the goslings) has sprung

I always know it is really spring when I first see baby goslings and I saw my first ones today. I was out running errands and driving down the road when I spotted two parent geese and their babies; and then just down the road a little further, another family of geese and goslings. It seems that we have an overabundance of geese around our neighborhood and sometimes they get a bad rap. People get tired of their droppings and they can be aggressive if it is nesting season, or if they're just in a bad mood and you get too close. I have seen a woman attacked by a goose and it was pretty scary. But, it was minor and she managed to wave it away pretty quickly, but you get the idea!?!.

We were at the zoo a couple of weeks ago and there were geese all over the place and people were feeding them, as they always do. Leon, Abby, Lissy and I were walking along and two geese started running toward Lissy and I and lifted into the air just above our heads. It was a very scary moment, but the mother in me took over and I threw myself in front of Lissy to protect her. Thank God she is okay!!! Another take on that story is that Lissy threw me in front of her, but I won't go there!!

Anyhow, I really do love the geese and though some people say that they are filthy because of their droppings, I do believe that we would be pretty filthy too, if we didn't have bathrooms. And their babies are absolutely enchanting. I watch for them every spring and I am always happy when I see them.

Another thing that I find really cool about geese is that they mate for life. I don't think there are too many species that do that, but nothing is more heart wrenching than seeing a goose hit and killed by a car and their mate on the side of the road, not knowing what to do. It is almost as thought they are waiting for their mate to get up. This mating for life ritual makes me wonder how they choose each other. Is it totally random? Is it just the first one they run into after hitting "puberty"? I can't imagine they are smart enough to be "attracted" to a particular other goose. And then, how do they tell each other apart from other geese. They all seem to look the same to me. So when the goose husband leaves for some errand and comes back to a group of goose wives, how does he know which one is his. Interesting!!!! Okay, I really must stop this now.

Take notice of the geese and goslings in your neighborhood and ask yourself these questions.

By the way, I did not have my camera with me, so these pictures are from Flickr, but I really want to get a picture of my own. Maybe next time!!