Branta Canadensis (Canada Goose) - III
Branta Canadensis (Canada Goose) - III
Written by Friday, 15 May 2009 00:00
“Far from the city's dust and heat, I get but sounds and odors sweet.
Who can wonder I love to stay, week after week, here hidden away,
In this sly nook that I love the best - this little brown house like a ground-bird's nest?” Ella Wheeler Wilcox
|
|
Branta canadensis II: Breeding Canada Geese find a mate during the second year of their lives. They are monogamous, and most couples stay together for the rest of their lives. If one is killed, the other may find a new mate. The female lays 3–8 eggs and both parents protect the nest while the eggs incubate, but the female spends more time at the nest than the male. Known egg predators include Arctic Foxes, Northern Raccoons, Red Foxes, large gulls, common Raven, American Crows and bears. During this incubation period, the adults lose their flight feathers, so they cannot fly until their eggs hatch after 25–28 days. Adult geese are often seen leading their goslings in a line, usually with one parent at the front and the other at the back. While protecting their goslings, parents often violently chase away nearby creatures, from small blackbirds to humans that approach, after warning them by giving off a hissing sound. Most of the species that prey on eggs will also take a gosling. Although parents are hostile to unfamiliar geese, they may form groups of a number of goslings and a few adults, called crèches. The offspring enter the fledging stage any time from 6 to 9 weeks of age. They do not leave their parents until after the spring migration, when they return to their birthplace. Once they reach adulthood, Canada Geese are rarely preyed on, but (beyond humans) can be taken by Coyotes, Red Foxes, Gray Wolves, Snowy Owls, Great Horned Owls, Golden Eagles and, most often, Bald Eagles. Canada Goose populations inhabiting areas also inhabited by domesticated geese can and will interbreed with them, producing offspring that often resemble Canada Geese in shape, but with a white or gray body, dark grey head and neck, and off-white chin, with pink feet. (1) The geese in Sale park got into breeding season in March. We kept visiting the park waiting to see the goslings. The adult pairs were quite protective of their young, however, they are also used to the human presence. As a result when our lenses and cameras bothered them, they took their young to the water, well into the marshlands. We had to be very careful not to scare the birds so we could take some nice family shots. Photos by Marina Parha and George J. Reclos Shooting Data: 1. Camera: Nikon D2X 2. Camera: Nikon D300 3. Camera: Nikon D2X 4. Camera: Nikon D2X 5. Camera: Nikon D2X 6. Camera: Nikon D2X 7. Camera: Nikon D300 8. Camera: Nikon D2X 9. Camera: Nikon D300
(1) Wikipedia |
These photographs are the property of MCH Portal and cannot be reproduced without the written permission of the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|