G is for geese

People often complain about geese. They are described as being aggressive, territorial, and messy. 

They are considered to be annoying. People use all sorts of techniques to keep Canada geese off of their property, including stringing wire to keep the geese away from their ponds. They can also replace much of the grass in their yard with native vegetation. Just check local ordinances to make sure that native vegetation isn't a violation (since native vegetation is the environmentally sound approach to planting, I would call banning it from lawns to be a stupid law).  A third way to get Canada geese off of your lawn would be to get a border collie. The dog will herd the geese off of your property. 

On Thursday, at Beaver Island State Park, I saw a few geese walking on the snowy ground. I truly did not expect to see geese walking in the mushy snow. They looked beautiful, rather than like pests. They were beauty in an unlikely place. 

The birds are beautiful but they have bad reputations. Despite their bad reputation, they are really quite remarkable and attractive creatures. Here are some of these birds traits:

• they mate for life. If they lose their partners, they don't seek out another.
• Geese care for one another. If a goose or gander or gosling in their group gets injured or becomes ill, one or more members of the group will leave the group to take care of the bird that is sick or injured. They may stay out of the group permanently or they may join a new group later on.
• Geese can dive and swim up to 30 feet underwater.
• Geese have an impressive sense of direction and can travel up to 3,000 miles.
• The V formation that geese use in flying is very effective and efficient.
• Goslings can dive and swim underwater when they are a day old. They start to fly at three months.

For more information about these interesting birds, click right here.

Tomorrow: It's comments and conversation day! I will be featuring you! Come and visit!