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Monday, May 19, 2014

A Canada Goose Family, Bartlett Pond, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Normally, I don't like Canada geese in the yard.  To be blunt, they are poop factories.  But this time, mom goose and dad goose brought along the new generation for a snack on some fresh yard grass.  I couldn't resist letting them stay - the cuteness factor was just too high.

Both mom and dad are hyper-vigilant parents.  I was surprised they allowed the family to stay so close to me after I started moving slowly toward them to get a better camera angle. They must have known I was a vegan and would not harm them - just kidding. 

They are just too cute - front view and rear view.

This one decided to plonk down on his belly to eat.

After maybe ten minutes, and with one short honk, dad called the brood together and they quickly circled mom and came running back to the water following him.

In the relative safety of the water, mom and dad stopped for a short snack - the young gosling's necks aren't long enough yet to feed very deeply but, you can bet they are filing away the feeding technique for later. I say relative safety of the water because sometimes (I've heard from other people that) the large snapping turtles that also call the pond home will reach up and grab a gosling for an appetizer.

Lined up, off they go. Next time they come around, I'll be surprised if all five are still alive. Their world is a harsh one. 


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