Family Life a la Goose

A few months ago I wrote about a goose trapped in the ice on Hidden Lake.  An eagle landed on the ice and walked carefully over to the goose to see if there was an easy kill to be had.  But the goose flapped powerfully and the eagle thought better of an attack.

The next day there was enough of a thaw for the goose to escape the ice.  Day after day we watched that goose, alone on the lake.  Then one day another goose joined the recuperating one.  Was it the missing mate?  We hoped so.

Suddenly a week ago we saw a pair of geese with a little gosling on our grass by the lake shore.  And then this morning all heaven broke loose here.

When I walked out onto the deck this morning with my camera, the goose family started to walk to the lake.  The three little ones hurried along.  Soon they were sailing away...

A couple of hours later, Kathy called for me to rush to the window and see the TWO families of geese in the back yard.  Each family had three goslings.  As soon as I walked onto the deck with my camera, the group on the right began to move immediately toward the water.

See how the three little ones are trying to fly?  Their wings are out at their sides.  Instinct tells them the wings have an important purpose, but they don't work yet.  The legs do, though, and the little webbed feet.

Life on the lake.  The turtles at Turtle Haven thought nothing of what was going on and continued sunning themselves on a floating log.