I hear the central mountains up and down Oregon, (Cascades, Siskiyous, etc) are getting about 16 inches of snow over the weekend. That's nice for the snow pack, which gives us summer water, and for the snow skiers and boarders.
Canada Geese winter over in the valley. Often, I hear the goose canons blasting from the fields, where farmers set them up to try to keep them off the grass fields. Since I've been hit by goose bombardiers, when large noisy V shaped flocks fly overhead, I duck for cover, convinced they take aim. Goose splatters are nasty!
To see these huge heavy bodied geese taking flight, its about the same for me as when I see a big old cargo plane on a runway. I think to myself, "How does that thing fly".
After some of the comments I looked up information on Canada Geese. They are truly amazing. They take turns at the head of their V flight pattern, which produces a more efficient less tiring journey. They mate for life. They readily take in orphaned goslings. The male and female protect the young together, with the male at the back of the line and female at the front. If an extended community member, during flight, weakens, two other geese will stay with the weakened community member until it dies or can resume its flight. When foraging, they take turns watching for danger. They get along with other birds and animals. These are amazing birds.
Read More about Canada Geese here.
For those of you who don't know what a goose canon is.
Their droppings are nasty, for sure. Glad you enjoyed some rain free time there.
ReplyDeleteYes they are, and from a height, holy shit!
DeleteIn the words of a ditty I learnt as a child 'be thankful that cows don't fly'.
ReplyDeleteGlad you got some time in the park. Peaceful heart balm.
I'm quite thankful for that!
DeleteI think the same about pelicans and swans. How on earth do they get lift off. I think it is obvious who is boss goose, the one who gets out of the water. No doubt the rest followed.
ReplyDeleteIt's not like they run long distance before take off to get some speed and lift, or leap off from a bit of a height. Yes, there always seems to be a boss goose. They mate up for life, so I wonder how they choose a leader. I've noticed same thing, if they are grazing in a large group in the fields. One, usually a big one, is always on watch, not grazing. They must switch off, so boss goose can eat.
DeleteI added a paragraph to the bottom of the post, after reading up on Canada Geese behavior. They are amazing.
DeleteI enjoyed the pictures and facts about geese. I have never heard of a goose canon, but I have heard a lot of complaints about the damage from too many geese around.
ReplyDeleteThey randomly fire off loud bangs, that can be heard throughout the valley. Farmers also put out silhouettes of coyotes. I will try to get a photo of those one of these days.
DeleteI added a video at the bottom of a goose canon being used on a baseball field to scare of geese.
Delete