Pond Visitors

[vfem]

Was out feeding the ducks and chickens and we had visitors today!

They weren't very scared of me walking around in the yard, but I'm definitely keeping my distance.

 

[debilorrah]

Ok forgive my ignorance - what are they?

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Look like Canada Geese to me.

 

[SterlingAcres]

Canadian Geese. They're most likely mine. Send them back when our snow melts

 

[eggzettera]

Don't see them packing green cards so they look like illegal immigrants to me!

Where is border patrol when you need them?

 

[debilorrah]

WOW, our Canadian geese are WAY bigger. Like OHMYGAWD RUN big.

 

[chickenbuddy]

Lucky!

 

[chickenpiedpiper]

Canada Goose is correct, HOWEVER... there are actually three seperate races of the Cananda Goose, and they are impossible to tell apart except by size. The largest is the Atlantic race, and they are the most common, and most commonly hated, as they can be very bossy, and MESSY in heavily populated areas, hence usually are unwelcome. The two smaller races are much less comon, and declining in numbers due to thier shy nature. If you have a good Bird Book, it may help you figure out what your looking at, but it is tough. Shape of the head, and where the white chin strap ends helps, but again, tough, and you gotta get close.

We used to have a family group of Canadas that returned every year to raise babies, and they would eat cracked corn from our hands, but that was years ago.

enjoy, and dont fear them too much, they are not generally aggresive!

 

[Blisschick]

I saw some about 10 years ago in Tennessee--during the summer (?)-- and they were big enough that my best friend got up on the back of the car for fear that she was going to be eaten by them!!

Of course, I laughed myself sick and threw more bread at the car...

 

[magsrags]

Canadian Geese now live here year round on Staten Island NY because our winters have changed so much in the past 10 years or so. They make the football fields and golf courses such a mess that sheep dogs "for hire" are now used to frighten them away. We have literally hundreds of them....and I love watching them fly over my house each day.