Moulting Season Begins

As June came into July, a few things began to happen that I look forward to every year. First and foremost, the Goslings began to take on their adult colours in earnest.

They began to resemble adults in miniature.

They move across the lawn with much more confidence.

And, they are beginning to resemble a flock, rather than four adults and four babies.

Dad’s Lieutenant sticks close to Ralph as they venture further up the lawn.

The Shy One is the only one that still is a bit gawky and not quite so hale.

But they all make it up to the furthest corner of the lawn fairly easily.

The adults still keep careful watch on the Goslings, however. There are foxes around.

The Goslings weren’t the only ones feeding on the lawn. Some babies take a while longer to feed themselves. Ravens for instance. They will be fed until they are about 60 days old, and some have trouble giving that up.

I believe the one on the right is White Wing. He watches as the other raven eats.

And then demands food.

He’s a demanding one, is White Wing.

He actually seems to dominate the parent feeding him.

I can almost think what the parent Raven is thinking as White Wing proves he is perfectly able to feed himself.

One day toward the end of June, I realised that three visitors had arrived. I assumed that, as had happened before, they would disappear after a day or two, content that the family was doing well. However, these visitors never left. We were into moulting season, when all adult geese are grounded, so they were here for the duration. This usually ends just as the Goslings are ready for their first flight.

The positions and attitudes of the geese as they go through this very necessary stage are quite enoyable to watch. There’s always one that I call Baryshnigoose, but  he hadn’t made himself known yet. They had only just begun.

The beginning of July came and the family began to cross the lane to feed under my window. I love this time of year. But with the added three, they truly were a flock! It became difficult to differentiate between the adults, and the Goslings were becoming just as difficult to keep separated in my mind. Luckily, they still had the down sticking out of their beautiful black head feathers, so I was able to tell who was juvenile and who was adult.

Also, quite frequently, the three visitors remained separate from the family, keeping their distance. I honestly wondered how Ralph kept his temper a few times. Usually, the two closest to the Goslings were Ralph and Alice, with Trixie and Norton not far away, then the Visitors.

I love this time of year.

This is the closest look I’ve had at the family in ages. Alice remains watchful.

As the Goslings all make the crossing, Alice relaxes and eats.

There’s always another adult on look-out duty.

One of the Goslings decides it’s time to stretch his wings.

Alice decides it’s time for everyone to go back to the other side and calls out. At first, all seem to be following.

Howver, one of the Goslings has just found a new feeding spot. Dandelions keep Ralph occupied …

… while Dad’s Lieutenant tucks in.

If you look carefully, you’ll see 11 geese in this shot.

Reluctantly, the Goslings follow Alice back to more familiar ground.

Just a few weeks ago, they’d have had trouble with this ledge!

July 5th dawned and the family had a bit of time, just the eight of them.

It’s about 7:45 and the Goslings need food to give them energy.

By about 8:30, they’ve warmed up their tummies and their muscles and head over the the laneway.

It’s 2:30 or so and the family have had a good swim.

Also on July 6th, I saw this little guy. I love the Wagtails, but the Grey Wagtails move too quickly to allow for a good photo op. This little Pied Wagtail seemed game, however!

Hanging out, just chilling.

Another miraculously still moment.

And on the 6th, grooming/moulting began in earnest. Generally, if the goose isn’t grooming, it’s probably a Gosling. Not always, however. Sometimes, all a goose wants is food.

Always, mixed in with moulting and grooming and eating, there is wing training to be done. The Goslings need to get their leg and wing muscles strong enough to defy gravity and lift them off the earth. These last photos and the one directly above are all from July 7.

As the flock heads to the pond for a swim, Dad’s Lieutenant decides it’s time for a bit of wing training.

The adults pick up on it, but not everyone participates.

I was due to fly back to Canada on July 10 for a visit with my family, which meant I would be missing two weeks of the Goslings’ development. That just killed me. They might have flown off before my return on July 24!!! But, my own family ties mean more to me, so that meant I had two more full days of shots to mingle in with packing!

So, we’re coming into the last few posts about this year’s Canada Goose family. It’s taken a while to get here this year, but I, for one, am grateful. It’s dismally dark and mizzly here, it being November. Creating these posts takes me back to sunnier days. I look forward to sharing the rest of their story with you.