Trego's Mountain Ear

Folks driving by the pond are slowing and stopping to view the lesser Canadian geese and their hatchlings.  Since I get to watch them more than most, I can tell a bit more of their story.  For me, it begins a few years back, watching Goose and Gander as they picked the island for a nesting site.

They arrive early – when the island is still covered with snow, and the solid ice of the pond offers no protection from predators.  Still, the early arrival is important in claiming their chosen nesting site and keeping it their own.  The first goose left with her flock several years ago, in poor condition, and didn’t make it back.  Gander had a new consort, and had his non-existent hands full convincing sweet-young-thing that nesting on the island was mandatory.  Her personal record of past successes has made continuing her predecessor’s nesting site a non-issue.  The goose continues to keep a low profile nesting on the island, while gander continues to keep eagle gazes away, as he swims around the island or paces the field, keeping predators distracted.

I’ve ordered more nitrogen fixing bacteria for the pond – if it were just goose, gander and offspring the nitrogen enrichment wouldn’t be too bad.  But we have (as I write) three separate sets of hatchlings, plus last year’s adolescents and their mates.  In other words, the pond is challenged by about 20 adult geese, another 20 hatchlings, and that means I need some management techniques to keep the algae growth down and the water clean.  Meanwhile, gander cruises the pond with one set of goslings and two sets of grand-goslings.  I think he is middle-aged now, and that he got his start with a goose who was older than he.  Experience has led to tremendous reproductive success.

The garden snake has several tiny garter snakes on the prowl – intensely bright markings on these small snakes.  The ponds seem to be offering a great ecosystem for painted turtles – and the muskrat population is growing again.  There is a new redwing blackbird claiming ownership of the ponds, with two consorts nesting.  Robins abound, and a small cohort of grackles move in competing with them for worms.

The first hatch of ducklings are now following their mother around the pond.  Diving ducklings definitely lack the inborn order of geese – by the time they’re three days old, they can best be described as milling around their parent and disappearing to explore life under water.  Meanwhile, the Coot hen is on the nest somewhere – our regular pair of coots tend to hang close to Goose and Gander – Coots are another monogamous species.

The deer still show that the winter was hard for them.  The parts of the field where I have tried to plant alfalfa seem to be their chosen salad bowl.  It was easier to raise alfalfa when there were fewer deer.