Well, I’m pretty sure I got your attention with that title.
Since buying my first Metropark pass in 2018, plus straying to larger park venues beyond the confines of my favorite nature nook, I’ve become more in tune about the various critters out there to discover, albeit mostly birds. I learned a lot about wildlife and nature at an early age, not necessarily at school, but because I watched TV nature programs like Wild Kingdom or the Calypso and crew’s excursions in The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. There were National Geographic TV specials and its magazine was similarly a treasure trove of information.
So, it’s been great to “meet” some of these critters up close and personal and, although I have not yet started a birding life list for my birding encounters like some of my fellow bloggers/birders keep, I figure it is not too late to start compiling that list now.
While walking in larger venues, especially Lake Erie Metropark on the shores of Lake Erie, or near its many marshes, there have been plenty of opportunities to see multiple creatures of the same type. Early on in my writings about those wanderings and wildlife sightings, I likely referred to that group of like critters as a “bunch” or a “group” but slowly I have been adding more proper terminology to my posts, even though if you’re looking at a photo of a group of geese, do you really need me to define geese paddling in the water or waddling around on land (a/k/a a “gaggle”) versus geese in the air (a/k/a a “flock” or a “skein”) – why quibble over particulars, right?
I have been striving to include proper names for the collective groups of critters, even though some of these make no sense or seem nonsensical. More on those funny names at the tail end of this post.
I started following a Metropark photographers site on Facebook to be wowed by the photographic captures of beautiful songbirds and waterfowl, along with charming critters like raccoons, or does with their fawns, although I admit I am less enamored with the snake and muskrat pics that are often posted. But I’ve gleaned a tidbit or two along the way, so the next time I show you a neat queue of sunbathing turtles on a log, I will wow you by referring to them as a “bale” of bathing beauties instead. See what I did there? Who says learning has to end when you have finished your formal education?
All that info is complicated by the fact that we all say “goose” if we see a feathered waterfowl friend, but technically a female goose is called a “goose” and the male goose is called a “gander” and Google tells me that any ol’ human eyeballing geese can’t tell the males from the females, but yes, wildlife experts can tell.
It’s nestin’ and birthin’ season around these parts.
Sure puppies and kittens are cute, but is there anything sweeter than seeing a parade of ducklings toddling after Mama Mallard, or Mama Goose surrounded by her goslings? And, even though Papa Goose may not be present and accounted for, believe me – he is nearby, on guard, to fiercely protect his little family against any predators, even you and me.
I love seeing the goslings when they are a day or two old, fuzzy little lemon drops, snoozing, or those wiggle butts running after their parents, biting the dandelion tops off, or peeking at me between the blades of grass.
Then, all too soon those goslings’ cherubic faces morph into snarly faces and they are quick to glare at me, thus daring me to step closer by mimicking their parents’ actions, i.e. flapping stubby little wings and hissing at me, though they have not quite mastered waggling that hot-pink tongue – yet.
A nod to Mother’s Day … Mama Goose is back!
If you’ve followed my blog for a while you know every Spring I head to Heritage Park to watch the progress of Mrs. Goose sitting on a nest. I’m sure she could find a comfier spot, than embedded in the boulders on the side of the park’s quaint covered bridge, but evidently she has first dibs on this spot as she was here again this year. Just like I detailed in one of my favorite posts ever, so it was the same this Spring when I discovered the Missus sitting on a nest on April 6th.
Yes, there was debris and litter around her, but she had a job to do and I don’t know how far she was into that incubation period, but altogether she would be sitting on that nest, at least 28 days, before the eggs would begin “pipping” and those goslings would hatch.
There were multiple trips to Heritage Park; the next was on April 14th, where an annoyed Mama Goose turned around and glared at me …
… while Papa Goose similarly gave me the “evil eye” so I grabbed a shot of Mama in a shadow (above) and Papa with considerable attitude (below), then left. The welcome mat sure was not rolled out for me that day.
I returned again on April 22nd and got a photo of a very sleepy Mama Goose still on the nest.
She did raise one eyelid and looked at me warily.
The next visit, on April 30th, was perfect timing on my part. Her rocky perch was abandoned …
… and I knew just where to find her as she and the goslings had a favorite memorial tree near the water the past few years.
The goslings gathered near their parents and a group of nearby geese functioned as nursemaids, ensuring those hefty winds didn’t fling the goslings down the grassy slope and into Coan Lake. I stopped to take a few photos, but knew I would return to get close-ups, weather permitting, then I would scrap the original shots.
I returned two days later, May 2nd and, just as before, the family was huddled together at the same tree with Papa Goose stationed like a sentry nearby.
It was a collective snooze-fest!
I hustled over to get a few close-ups if possible. The goslings took their cue from Mama …
… and snoozed quietly. Well, all but one of them anyway.
In the next two photos, the gosling in the forefront does NOT look comfy – check out its head!
In the next two photos, the gosling in the background is wide awake and looks at its sleeping sibling as much as to say “c’mon – let’s go eat grass or bug Mama or something!”
The many faces of goslings.
Happily I was able to get some eyes-wide-open close-ups of his offspring without raising the hackles of Papa Goose too much. These were my favorite peek-a-boo pics.
So, now that I’ve shared shots of Mama and Papa Goose and their sweet offspring, likely the first of several 2024 cutie-pie goslings you will see spotlighted in my blog, as promised, let’s have a look at a group or two. My original intent was to display the collective group names in list format, but that list went on forever. So, I went a’Googlin’ for a shorter list and this one will give you a giggle with its clever graphics. Please click here.
I am joining Terri Webster Schrandt’s Sunday Stills Challenge: Groups of Any Kind.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 