Look what greeted us upon arrival at work on Monday morning! Our receptionist was walking in when the daddy goose came out of nowhere hissing and snapping. He chased, she ran. When I arrived, the engineering department was roping off the area and putting a tub of water near the building. Normally, the geese nest around the pond behind the School of Engineering, but last year woodstorks moved in and nested - apparently shoving the Canadian geese out. In spite of the shade in the picture, they picked one of the sunniest, hottest places on the property. I just hope they know what they're doing.
Obviously, my curiosity has been piqued, so I "googled" how long does it take to hatch Canadian goose eggs and got this from answers.yahoo.com:
Never place food near a nest. It can attract predators (other birds, mice, rats, raccoons, possum, etc.) that will destroy the eggs or eat the baby birds.
When a mother bird picks her nest site, she finds a place that is close enough to a food supply for her to get to in a hurry, when she takes a break from setting, but not close enough to endanger her nest.
The Canada Goose begins to incubate her eggs after she finishes laying them all - sometimes up to 15 eggs, but more commonly 2-8. Once incubation begins, the eggs should hatch in about 25-28 days. The goslings hatch covered with down and with their eyes open. They leave the nest within 24 hours of hatching with the ability to swim and feed. Unlike songbirds, the parents do not feed their babies. The young geese will fledge (leave the care of their parents) in 6-7 weeks.
Do not disturb the nest, because you could cause the mother to abandon her eggs. She views humans as predators.
Also, remember that in the US, all native migratory birds are protected under federal law (Migratory Bird Treaty Act). It is illegal for anyone to possess a protected bird, its nest, its eggs or even its feathers unless they have the required federal and state licenses. It is also illegal to disturb an active nest. Penalties for violating this law include fines of up to $500 and/or up to 6 months in jail for each offense
Hmmm... seems the helpful humans aren't being as helpful as they think. I'd better let them know not to feed the geese bread!
5 comments:
first monday?
I'm surprised the goose made a nest so out in the open - kind of counter-intuitive to me.
I was so shocked by the starkness of the nest on the webcam.
Hello Sayre,
Interesting site that the geese chose for their nest. I have started posting again lately. I hope that you are as well.
Geese are strange. I remember being chased a lot by them. Some birds you just can't make friends with.
Glad to see you again. It has been a while.
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