A view from the top

[QuietOne]

You can always tell which geese are just passing through and which winter over. The latter don't bat an eye when you get close to them.

xxxxx

[Hillbillygirl]

Something I don't see often. A Goose perched on a railing. Nice detail on these Q.O.

[asnow]

I like the goose perched on the railing taking everything in.

[Mad Aussie]

These are Canada geese right? I saw a show on TV yesterday about cooking in New Zealand where a farmer was cooking these up. He claims they flock in and destroy more grass than his sheep do so he eats them.

[QuietOne]

Thanks, HBG and asnow.

MA, yes, they're Canada geese. I can sympathize with the farmer - when they decide an area is good for year round (think parks and other cultivated areas) they are a nuisance. They're ridiculously heavy, so they can't have much in their stomach - too much extra weight. The end result is grass is coming in and going out simultaneously. Lots of geese means lots of green shoes. Boise is trying multiple techniques to move them out and control their numbers - silhouette of coyotes that are moved regularly (they're a smart bird), "bring your dog to the park on Mondays", and egg and nest control.

They're interesting to watch, despite that. Both sexes parent the goslings, and when you get enough adults they parent in groups. They take turns babysitting and keeping watch, so everyone gets a chance to eat.

I've seen them perched on all sorts of high man-made objects. There's a pair that nests every year on the roof over the back door where I work. One day I saw one sitting on the muffler of our generator (we have a big one to run the building. Battery backup keeps the computer room going until it kicks in). I wished at the time that it was the day we ran it to keep it working and to keep the diesel from getting old. I would have liked to see the bird's reaction when the thing he was sitting on got loud and warm!