There were goslings galore this Spring of 2023. I admit I was shutter happy and you’ll see some today, next week as I continue my roam along the River and finally, there will be a post from when I mixed, mingled and photographed the Council Point Park goslings for my virtual March of Dimes 5K Walk.
Today’s post is about a walk taken May 6th at beautiful Elizabeth Park. Many of my prior posts at this venue include geese – lots of geese. In fact, I can’t even estimate how many Canada Geese live at this 162-acre island park and then the annual baby boom occurs when the goslings arrive, thus multiplying the geese population even more.
The goslings who toddled after their parents in these photos are grown up now. They have lost their lemon-yellow baby fuzz and sweet faces. But, even though the goslings may stand shoulder to shoulder with their parents, if someone were to step too close to any of them, the gander a/k/a Papa, would intercept, flap his wings and hiss with that pink tongue, so you best be “gettin’ out of Dodge” pronto or risk an attack by him.
Yes, the gander’s histrionics would be akin to how a human father protects his offspring, no matter how old they are.
On a quest for Dad and babies shots.
I didn’t have to look too hard to find the first family.
I stepped out of the car and peered into the distance at one of the two smaller bridges that cross the canal. I aimed to go there to hopefully get some shots of goslings from above.
Because we had had a lot of rain the prior five days, I suspected the canal likely had flooded its banks and the walking path would be saturated in some places. I was not eager to get wet feet, despite having an extra pair of shoes in the trunk of the car for mud and/or goose poop issues.
I was delighted to see this family up close. The light was perfect … not too sunny, not too gray, so I decided to focus on these geese for my Father’s Day post.
Unlike most birds, where it is easy to distinguish between male and female, Canada Geese look the same at a glance. The males are generally larger and more aggressive and territorial in their behavior. They are pretty vocal as well. Female Canada Geese are docile and have high-pitched voices. I admit I can’t tell them apart, unless the male is hyped up about something.
Through the years on my nature walks, I’ve had plenty of time to study geese. I give them wide berth at Council Point Park, especially when they have their goslings in tow. Once the goslings arrive, they may gather together to graze or paddle down the Creek, however, when it is time to leave, it is the male that escorts his family to or from the water, with the female bringing up the rear behind their goslings.
Having caught sight of me, Papa Goose guided his family away from the water’s edge and left with a flourish, neck outstretched, head raised to the sky and he let out a large honk.
And then they were on their way.
Hmm – was this a warning honk for me who stood about 15 feet away, camera ready to capture some photos, or, was it a warning honk to the goslings to beware of the looming human?
Well, I respected their privacy, backed off and walked along the soggy path parallel to the canal and I was still able to get some shots of the obedient goslings trailing behind in a neat queue. Mama Goose similarly was mindful of The Intruder.
In a cove-like area Papa Goose guided his goslings toward shore, but ultimately he would steer the family away, as if having second thoughts after the first gosling set its webbed feet onto land.
And off they went, headed toward the bridge and I pondered whether I should race ahead to the bridge, or just stay on the soggy path.
Perhaps Papa Goose worried the goslings were getting tired, or he decided the annoying lady with the camera pointed at his family truly meant no harm, so they approached the shoreline…
… and Papa stepped onto land and began to ascend the hill.
The goslings obediently headed up the hill following in their father’s footsteps and now gathered before him.
Then a little poking and prodding to get them to graze.
In this last shot, I think there was a final beak count to ensure all five goslings were present and accounted for – time to eat!!
I watched and clicked, fascinated as I always am. Lots of squeaks and peeps from these tiny goslings and they seemed to drip-dry in minutes and began to look for grass to graze on.
Finally, an hour later, I was on my way, where I saw another family to focus on as I roamed along the Detroit River, Elizabeth Drive and the canal, but I’ll share those cutie pies in next week’s post.
Please click here to enjoy this card whether or not you celebrate this holiday.
Happy Father’s Day!
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Beautiful you sharing Father’s Day 2023!
Wonderful you sharing your birds love families father’s Day. Excellent all photography.
I like.
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Glad you liked the Father’s Day post Raj. I often see Papa Goose (the gander) get mad and turn on other geese, including his mate, or even turning on humans and hissing and flapping his wings, but he is always tender with his goslings. It is wonderful to watch.
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Yes, that’s good, papa goos get mad and turn on other geese. It’s wonderful watch.
I like , Bridgette!
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I’m glad Papa Goose didn’t attack you.
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Me too Anne! Especially after incurring the wrath of the male Mute Swan who did not like me taking pictures of him and his mate, nowhere near them and minding my own business, when he stomped up the Creek bank on those wide webbed feet and came toward me … really? Luckily I always have peanuts and tossed him some – he decided peanuts were more important than chasing me. It is nice to watch the geese interacting with their goslings. I was at the same park today and I swear I saw hundreds of geese, some still with goslings, though not as young as these were.
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I almost feel like I’m on these walks with you! I love the photos and stories, especially as they include your impressions of what you see around you.
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Thank you for saying that Zazzy! It seems every time I am looking at animals, especially families, there is a story to be told and I am glad you feel like you are right there with me. I knew the gander thought I was a hindrance as they wanted to come ashore … I imagine those very young goslings were tired from paddling – do they just float along then? I backed off into the bushes so they could leave the water and I was happy when they finally came ashore and went up the hill. He was poking them up that steep incline with his beak. The ganders often have spats with other geese, or their mates, hiss and do some wing flapping at them and a minute later they are fine … but with their goslings they seem protective and tender to them.
I had a wonderful day today which will make a fun post. I saw a deer munching leaves off a tree near my car, but, as often happens, someone drove by and the noise startled it. So, it ran into the woods, about 15 feet away from the parking lot. I followed it into the woods, where it was a little dark, so I don’t expect the photos to be stellar, but it kept watching me and munching more leaves. It was a special moment. Then I went to the fire station near this metropark to see the Osprey nest I saw last Summer as I saw it flying around the park (but got no pics there). There was an Osprey on the nest, but low down, but its mate, likely the male, was sitting on top of a pole, so that was great. It flew away and I may have gotten pics of that hopefully. I waited for it to come back and finally left. Back on the road in the car, it returned, a beak full of sticks for the nest. So that will be a fun story to write, probably in July.
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I will look forward to those!
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Thank you Zazzy – I will look forward to putting those photos and story together. Yesterday I went down to the Detroit River and saw the elderly woman I have written about twice. Joanne will be 93 this November. She now uses a rolling walker, but walks from her senior high-rise apartment to Bishop Park, then up and down the Boardwalk several times, then back home. She is feisty and very animated. It’s hard to have a complete conversation with Joanne as everyone always waves “hi” and stops to chat with her. Another story down the line.
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Such sweet babies! As always, great photos!
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Thanks Kate! It was fun to watch the family and take pictures of them. The goslings are the sweetest when they are still small and yellow and toddling or paddling after their parents. I saw some grown goslings today with a lot of attitude!
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The photo of the “neat queue” is my favorite (though where is gosling #5?) It’s fascinating how the little ones swim one after the other. Maybe it’s an instinctive nod to safety, but more likely because the gander has a way of “putting them in line”.
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Maybe the missing goslings was snuggled up close to Mama or Papa and out of sight? I like seeing them in such a neat line too and also wonder if they know on their own to follow, or one of the parents is indeed “putting them in line. I saw something cute today Dave insofar as babies following their parents”. Today at Lake Erie Metropark there was a female Mallard and it had to be 10-11 ducklings behind her in a perfect line. I took photos of them and will count later, but wherever she paddled, they did not break that queue and obediently followed. Interestingly, the male Mallards are always nearby but never guide the ducklings in or out of the water. They were adorable, brown and yellow striped fluff balls. 🙂
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A nice tribute to Fathers Linda!
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Thank you Wayne! Glad you liked the little family interacting with their Dad!
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This post is perfect for Sunday Stills this week, Linda (fur and feathers theme)! You caught the funny side of wildlife in those great goose shots! Cute post for Father’s Day!
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Thank you Terri – this family was a lot of fun to watch as I followed them along the Canal. I was glad they finally came ashore so I could get some pics on land as well. I have taken a lot of gosling photos this Spring and have to spread them out or all the posts will look the same. Today I saw a Mama Duck with a slew of ducklings behind her. She was in a murky area of the marsh, so the ducklings blended in the muck and mire, but were they ever cute! Thank you for telling me about Sunday Stills and I am caught up for a change, so will go contribute my post.
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I added your post link to my round-up 🙂
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Thank you again Terri – I discovered that when I went to your post. 🙂
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Wonderful post Linda, nothing cuter then goslings in the spring time. 🙂
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Thank you Sandra – glad you liked it. It was fun to photograph them and write this post.
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You sure captured their family unit well. I love how the water was calm except for the waves they created – made for stunning photos and great leading lines too! Nice post, Linda. All your waiting for the great moments with the geese to capture them paid off well!!
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Thanks Shelley! Glad you liked it. This was a fun post to write. I was lucky to follow this family along the Canal and get those photos … the goslings were not very old, soft and cuddly looking, when they finally landed on the grass. It was a good weather day which made for gorgeous reflections.
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It was a day that was meant to be!! 😍🥰🤗
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I figured I was lucky to be in the right place and right timee!
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YES!! 😁😍🥰
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I almost didn’t see the 5th chick in the first pic. Excellent post for Father’s Day Linda! My second favorite pic is mom, 5 chicks in a row, dad in the rear. And happiness all make it to land. What a wonderful day. 🐥
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Thanks TD! I am glad you liked the post. The chicks usually stick together in a line, but occasionally one or two will lag behind because they are looking around or see something to eat. My favorite picture was the gander drinking and the three goslings watching me while I was watching them. They were staring at me pretty intensely. 🙂
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The babes are so cute but I fear Canada geese are taking over the world! We are in Niagara Falls right now and a spot we used to go to for bird/duck photography is nothing but geese now
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I agree with you Susan. I was at two parks yesterday; the first, Lake Erie Metropark had some geese, but not all that many; the second, Elizabeth Park, where these photos were taken, geese were everywhere. As I walked along the canal, there were so many geese on the grounds near the canal, you could barely see the grass. This park is overrun with Canada geese. I have not been a Niagra Falls since I was about seven years old. Continued safe travels to you.
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Thank you!
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I can see why you were shutter happy with the goslings!! Great photos.
I didn’t know that it was the male goose leading the goslings. I’m stepping away from them next time…they are huge and their wing span large. Don’t want them flapping near me. Better to stay safe!
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Those goslings are so cute Esther! I can’t resist taking pictures of them. I have seen lots of goslings this year and I have to stagger the posts otherwise they all would be filled with goslings. I have gotten some cute duckling photos too the last few weeks and will be sharing them shortly. That is my experience as to the geese … the gander takes the lead and the goose follows behind the goslings. In the case of the Mallards, the male (Drake) is nearby the family, but not shepherding them around. Mama (Hen) is always in the lead and the ducklings trail behind her … always cute! The male geese are very aggressive and I always veer right off the path if I’m walking and their offspring are there … I’ll get as close as I think I can get without agitating the gander and call it done. When the geese get mad at each other, both geese lower their heads close to the ground, his or open their beaks and flap their wings. A force to be reckoned with for sure!
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Ahhh, I see, the male goose is called the gander and a male mallard is called a drake! Thanks Linda for the enlightenment. Learn so much from you.
Yes, geese are frightening and should not be provoked. Yikes.
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You are welcome Esther. I learn some waterfowl info from Andy Finnegan as well. I know you follow him too. I did not know that male Mallard ducks can be vicious sometimes. I was surprised to learn that as I always think of the Mallards as sociable and almost tame when you see them at various parks.
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Oh Linda, what a lovely gallery of pictures! I enjoyed very much seeing the Canada goose parents taking care of their little ones and introducing them to the world. Fantastic photography!
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Thank you Barbara – I am glad you enjoyed the photos! I had a great time following the family as they paddled along in the Canal that morning. The goslings were at that exceptionally cute stage, yellow and fuzzy and inquisitive. My favorite picture was Dad drinking water as the goslings watching me intently.
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Miss Linda……………………………….that was a great Fathers Day story…………..I have no one to celebrate with on Father’s Day either………….about Mr and Mrs Meany I have a not happy story to tell you…………………Mr & Mrs Meany had one egg hatch they were close by the whole time…..with their one gosling…………..Well……………….about a week later…………………………………2 whole families arrived on our pond with 5 goslings for each family………………………………….where did they come from???……………we live very close to the railroad tracks…………………………………with the draught that we had I’m sure they needed water and walked all of the goslings to our pond………………………………………………….WELL………………………our corporate apartment office run by all very young adults………………………….follow orders…………………………No body likes to walk on the paved walkway which was full of goose droppings…………………………………….and now after a week………………………………..there are NO geese around…………………………the pond walkway is very clean…………………………….everyone is happy…………………who did they pay to capture all of the goslings and parents and where did they take them????…………………………..hopefully they are all together and are safe.
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Thank you Ann Marie – I am glad you liked this Father’s Day story that happened at one of our favorite venues, Elizabeth Park. Boy, I am sorry to read what happened again at the apartment. It was bad enough the apartment caretaker removed the goose eggs and nest a few years ago, but now I wonder, as you do, what they did with two families and Mr. and Mrs. Meany and their gosling? I hope they are contacting the DNR to remove the families and not just doing it on their own which is an offense. If they removed three sets of parents and 11 goslings, I hope they relocated them to somewhere like Elizabeth Park … I was there again Sunday and there were geese everywhere and there were still goslings too, though they were not all that young.
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Your geese pictures look especially beautiful! I could never tell the difference between the males and females, now I do!
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Thank you Diane! It’s much easier to tell with ducks … geese males are loud and argumentative, with other geese, even their mates. I see one “start” a fight while paddling together and next thing, hissing and head/neck lowered, then paddling along again without missing a beat. 🙂
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Wonderful photos as always!
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Thank you Linda! It was fun following this little family as they paddled down the Canal. I have seen more goslings this year than ever before.
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I enjoyed the photos and the story you shared.
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Thank you very much Kirstin! It was fun following this little family down the Canal.
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I always enjoy these exposures to nature that do not involve me actually getting out into nature. 🙂
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Glad you liked it JP – this was a safer trip for me than most times, since the gander did not hiss and go into the usual histrionics when humans happen by. 🙂
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