Geese on the Move

Geese and Dog
Purcellville, VA
May 21, 2023

Goose and Gosling
Odenton, MD
May 23, 2023

Chris and I continue to enjoy the geese in Nicole and Mike's side yard pond. The goslings are growing so quickly. It is instructive to watch the adults protect and herd their brood from place to place. The goslings line up generally between the adults and move together. 

On Sunday, while we were at Maggie Malick Wine Cellars, we observed adult geese protecting their goslings from the occasional dog that wanted to play in their pond. One of the geese, we believed it was the gander, moved between the dog and the goslings to divert the dog. One enterprising dog actually swam around threw pond twice with the gander always just out of reach before the dogs owner finally managed to get the dog under control. 

We never feared for the geese, although we wondered if at some point the dog would come under direct attack from the gander.

And so goes nature. Oh yes, we do have to avoid stepping in goose poop!

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD