Wet Nests

These geese must be new at nests. Side by side they sat in the middle of the bog at Indiana Dunes with barely an inch above the water line. This weekend's snow will surely wash out the nests and hopefully they'll learn to do better next time.

I've seen Swans do the same thing---with a  drowned out nest or two but eventually come back and have a successful nest with as much as seven signets.

The Ganders

There are two pair of geese raising babies this year on the pond of Sunset Hill Farm County Park. Here the first hatchlings glide through the weedy water between their parents---Mama in front; Dad protecting the rear.

Looking for a Home

Another hint that spring is near---a goose couple shopping for a place to raise a family. My guess is that these early birds will need little encouragement to set up housekeeping in one of the nesting boxes that the DNR has set up in the marsh.

Next time I get a chance to hike through, I hope to see her up in the box sitting on some eggs---maybe even sharing with another egg sitting female, while the ever attendant and loyal males swim below.

Frosty Flight

Mornings this February are more like March than February and the geese are beginning to congregate with romance on their minds.

This frosty blue skied morning brought the geese into the farm pond at the nearby park.    

Country Road and Geese

A misty, frosty fog filtered the sun down to the geese on this country road this Sunday morning. The geese were strangely quiet as they marched in procession across the lane.

Wednesday Warm Up

Here's last year's Canadian Goose family that was born and raised at Sunset Hills County Park.

The couple is back this year and looks to be in the market for some more family raising real estate.

Thinking about a nest?

These are the geese that made it through the extra hunting seasons and the blizzards that followed.

The geese are now waiting on the price of  real estate in the marsh to go down before they decide whether to nest in the boxes provided.