Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Coastal BC Birds: Canada Goose

Canada Goose

On Monday, I saw the first pair of Canada Geese returning to Powell Lake. It wasn't at my home in Hole in the Wall, but down at the Shinglemill marina. Maybe they will soon return to their regular nesting place in the back of the Hole. It's a sure sign Spring isn't too far away.

The Canada Goose is a very vocal bird. I could hear the pair coming from a long way away. The geese range from the arctic tundra of the Canadian north all the way south to the Gulf Coast. The long black neck with a brilliant white chinstrap makes them easy to identify. Geese mate for life, the pairs returning year after year to their preferred breeding grounds. Nests are made of dry grasses lined with down in a raised area near the water's edge. A clutch of 2-8 eggs takes about a month to incubate, then the babies grow for 6-7 weeks before they can fly. Soon there will lots of bird action to watch in the Hole. I can't wait.

Want to know more? See ...

Love Canada Geese
All About Birds
Ducks Unlimited Canada
Hinterland Who's Who
Thanks for visiting. -- Margy

9 comments:

  1. Nice photos! I like the geese - they don't seem to like me! (Last summer when I was trying to photograph a group of them they about chased me to my car!) LOL!

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  2. Geese can be a bit aggressive but their babies are so darned cute!

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  3. I've never seen these kind of geese. I've only seen white geese in the (mostly artificial) ponds around here and even in the desert. Wonderful pictures, Margy.

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  4. Anonymous10:39 PM

    Yay! Maybe they'll soon be in our neck of the woods too.

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  5. Beautiful post. I love seeing the geese this time of year. Wonderful sign that spring is near. Thanks for commenting on *both* my sites.

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  6. that's a lovely picture and great information on Canadian Geese. I've also been looking at your winter garden posts. We are burried under so much snow this year that the thought of a winter garden is a dream. Thanks for visiting my site.

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  7. We still have a lot of your canadian geese over here. I will come back to let you know when I put a couple of them on the blog...

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  8. You're right...I think Gus would LOVE to stalk these guys!

    Your pictures are awesome...thanks for stopping by. You're welcome anytime! ")

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  9. Anonymous2:42 PM

    Love your shots of the Canada Geese!

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We welcome your comments and questions. - Wayne and Margy