Sunday, May 23, 2010

Gosling Update

Our seven goslings hatched on Mother's Day are alive and well and growing so fast we can hardly believe it.

I've taken so many pictures of them to post . . . all of them bad. The second I get near enough their parents hustle them away as if I were going to try to steal them.

The following pictures (sorry, poor quality) were taken about a week ago. We happened to spot the family on their first trip down to the pond.

You could almost tell that the goslings just didn't know what to make of that big receptacle of water.

First Mom got in the water and tried to entice them to follow her. Nothin' doin'.

Then she got out and Pop gave it a try. No dice.

But when Mom got in with Pop, the goslings decided they didn't want to be left on shore alone. They walked right in, flapped and splashed for only a few seconds before instinct took over and they found they were swimming as if it were natural to them. (Uh, I guess it IS natural to them.)

I took these last two pictures today when they were up in the yard.

A typical shot . . . with Mom and Pop herding the babies away from me.

Fuzzy as this picture is it's the best I could get of the goslings.

P.S. The wolf was spotted again tonight around 6 o'clock. He was walking the perimeter of the electric fencing around the pond looking (what seemed like hungrily) at the ducks and geese.

Mama Mallard and her 10 ducklings and all the geese were in the pond and spotted the wolf. They all immediately swam to the middle of the pond and stayed there swimming in circles until the wolf disappeared into the woods.

I'm sure hoping the wolf is just curious rather than hungry.

8 comments:

Leigh said...

You certainly got some good pix this time. I hope that wolf finds someplace else to hang out.

Erin said...

good thing you have that pond for them to swim to the middle of!!

RuthieJ said...

Aw, they're so cute! Do the geese and chickens eat dandelions?

Jennifer Jo said...

And the plot thickens...

fiona@fionacampbell.ca said...

Nice photos, Mama Pea! I love watching the interaction between parents and their offspring -- fascinating!
That second wolf sighting is a bit disconcerting, to say the least. I agree with Erin -- good thing the ducks can take refuge in the pond and thanks goodness for electric fencing!

Anonymous said...

They are too cute!! Praying the wolf finds another dinner buffet.

Susan said...

It's amazing how much they've grown! And it's lucky for them you have given them the added protection of an electric fence. They are adorable!

Mama Pea said...

Hey, all you lovely ladies - I swear, you can see those goslings growing day by day. There are two of them that still can't quite figure out the ramp to their pen at night so we have to scoop them up and put them in and you can literally feel them getting heavier every day!

Needless to say, we're keeping our fingers crossed that our wolf has decided to go somewhere else. We don't wish to harm the wolf in any way but would feel awful if he/she got at any of the birds.

Ruthie, neither hubby nor I have ever actually seen any of the birds eating dandelions but doesn't it stand to reason that they would at least dine on the greens?