Christmas Geese

No, not Christmas dinner!  I was at my lake house doing a bit of work yesterday and spotted the Canada Geese and the Greylag Goose at the dam end of the lake (about a half-block from where I was taking pictures).  Needless to say, I was using my long zoom lens when taking the picture.  We also were driving around our former community and stopped to snap a few pictures of these hybrid geese.  The hybrid geese were walking around on the shoreline of a small lake at a park near the main road there in the community.

I had never seen these particular geese before but it does make sense that there would be more than one hybrid cross between the domestic goose (Greylag and others?) and the resident large flocks of Canada Geese.  I was taken aback by the white goose that looks just like a domestic white goose except when you notice that tiny black spot on its neck.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!  I wish you a merry Christmas!  I will take tomorrow off but will be right back on Monday.  See you then!

The Geese at the Lake

I have not finished moving from my lake front home to the small farm.  I was at the lake two days ago when I snapped these pictures of the Canada Geese, Greylag Goose and that hybrid Greylag/Canada Goose.  The geese were paddling around a neighbor’s dock as well as grazing on their lawn.  These geese love eating tender domestic grass.  They also like grains such as corn, wheat, and rice.  They will eat almost all kinds of seeds and love legumes such as peanuts.  During the Summer, the geese at this lake often get tourists to give them treats at the marina where there is a swimming area.

This group of geese has been at the lake for a couple of years.  I remember when I first spotted the older Greylag two years ago.  This is the same goose that learned to fly about a year ago.  The hybrid is very probably its child.  They all get along very well.  I am glad that this lake is well-managed as far as the geese and ducks and other waterfowl go.  I will miss seeing these geese a lot.  I do have a small flock of their cousins where I am now living.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

Resident Geese on the Lake

The Canada Geese and the hybrid Greylag and Canada Goose have taken up residence on the far shore opposite from my home.  I seldom see the geese here anymore.  I do on occasion hear the distinctive honk of the Greylag hybrid.  These geese eat grasses, and grains primarily.  They love grazing on backyard lawns along the lake.  Having the flock paddle around the lake on the far shore gave me an opportunity to take a few pictures of them the other day.  The geese look healthy .  There are about ten in this one group.  There likely are three or four different groups of geese on this 101 acre man-made private community lake.  By the way, this lake is nearly forty years old now.  I always love seeing the waterfowl here.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

A Few Snapshots From the Yard

Mourning Dove

Because of our on-going dock construction, there have been few birds, ducks, squirrels, chipmunks and geese here.  I am showing a few snapshots that I took in the past few days here in my yards.  I had Red-headed Woodpeckers, a Downy Woodpecker, Goldfinches, a Mourning Dove, and the resident lake Canada and Greylag Geese around.  I am quite happy to see any birds here right now.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

Male Downy Woodpecker

Canada Geese, Greylag Goose

Greylag Goose

Male American Goldfinch

Red-headed Woodpecker

Ducks and Geese

Except for the hen Wood Duck (picture above) that I saw this morning, he only ducks here  in the past two weeks have been Mallards.  The Canada Geese and Greylag Goose and hybrid Greylag-Canada Goose have been sailing past the house both morning and night.  The geese occasionally climb up into the neighbor’s backyards to enjoy fine dining on grassy lawns.  My backyard is where a few female or  hen Mallard Ducks have been hanging out.  When the ducks hear me open the doors, they promptly amble down to the dock or fly back into the lake.  Last night early, I was surprised to see that the goose that is likely the hybrid Canada and Greylag cross, was leading the small division of the bigger flock.  Interesting.  I so enjoy watching all of the waterfowl come and go.  The last group of Canada Goslings seem like they are growing well and will soon be looking like their flock-mates.  I took these pictures from my deck in the past two days.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger photograph.  Enjoy!

Weekend Views of Ducks and Geese

The Canada Geese, the Greylag Goose, and a small flock of Wood Ducks sailed past my back deck during the late afternoon and twilight hours on Friday and Saturday, October 8-9, 2010.  This morning (10/10/10) I saw a group of 2 drake Mallard Ducks  and 3 hen Mallard Ducks just at my dock.  I so enjoy watching the waterfowl paddle gracefully by.  The Wood Ducks are super fast fliers!  I took pictures of these ducks in flight but the pictures really were not great.  Unfortunately the Wood Ducks often are here  on the lake behind my home at late twilight.  They are shy ducks.  This is the first time I have seen six Wood Ducks at a time here.

The Canada Geese have returned to the lake and have reunited with the Greylag Goose.  She paddles as the number two of the Canada Geese small division of the main flock.  I have only seen around twelve or so Canada Geese here recently.  I think that some of the rest of the bigger flock live on the other main arm of the lake on a far shoreline.  Please click on the thumbnail version to see the larger picture.  Sorry about the poor quality of almost all of the Wood Duck pictures this time.  Enjoy!

Greylag Goose

This is the only Greylag Goose here on our 101 acre community lake.  It was likely a domestic farm goose that either was an unwanted Easter pet or a farm goose that somebody dropped off at the shoreline.  This particular Goose has a honk that is very loud and sounds like a “Squa-wa” sound, almost like an old fashioned bicycle bulb horn.  Apparently the goose does not fly.  She was the foster mother to about five Canada Geese early this year and those goslings followed her wherever she went.  Now most of the Canada Geese have flown off to another nearby lake and the Greylag has few geese for companions.  In fact, the Greylag Goose most days just paddles alone or sometimes cozies up to the small group of Mallard Ducks.  The ducks and geese here seem to share space very well and usually get along quite happily.  Perhaps the bigger flock of Canada Geese (usually about 20-25 in number here) will return soon and the Greylag will have her family back.  Yesterday, I noticed about 10 Canada Geese have returned to our lake so perhaps some of her buddies have come home – at least I like to think so.  I also have recently noticed that several shoreline properties here have put up short wire or string fences to discourage the geese from grazing on their lawns.  Please click on the thumbnail version to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

Two Flocks of Canada Geese Flying to Another Lake

New Photo’s of the Geese

I was out and about taking pictures several days ago and snapped a few pictures at different times of our Canada Geese and that now wild, domestic Greylag Goose that seems to have adopted the Canada Geese here as her own flock.  The Geese are grazers and enjoy both the aquatic weeds and plants of the immediate shoreline here, and the lush backyard grasses of the lake-side lawns.  When the Geese travel, they usually follow a loose formation and are very expressive with much honking.  I always know when the Greylag Goose is around as she has a much coarser, louder honk than that of the Canada Geese.  That Greylag Goose is the only one of her kind around our lake.  She has a grey-tan color with an orange bill, and also is a lot more plump than the Canada Geese.  I also don’t believe that she flies.  Please click on the thumbnail version to see the larger photo.  Enjoy!

Geese Finding Dinner

I snapped these pictures of a small division of our resident Canada Geese plus their leader, a domestic Greylag Goose.  I incorrectly identified that Greylag as a White-fronted Goose in an earlier post.  It is likely a  now-wild  domestic hybrid of some type, since it does have characteristics of the Chinese Goose and the Greylag.  In any event, a few of the young Canada Geese have imprinted upon it and follow it all around the lake.  Whatever creature the gosling sees first is what they imprint on and instinctively follow.  These Geese were in search of a tasty mouthful of aquatic plants in the shallows of the shoreline.  They also eat lawn grass.  I think the neighbors are pleased that the lake plants are filling the bill for the moment (pun intended).  Please click on the thumbnail version to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

(Note that Mallard Duck)