A few days ago, David Kanigan posted photos of a Canada goose nesting on a dock.
https://davidkanigan.com/2021/04/20/and-the-show-goes-on/
Please visit it to see this post.
I had mixed feelings about this goose’s choice of location. It’s right out in the open, and so vulnerable to predators and the weather. I hope for, but don’t expect, a good outcome for this brood. Still, if she pulls it off and any of her goslings hatch and survive, the goose will deserve a medal for bravery and stamina.
I thought of this goose nest when the Captain came home from a trip up the BC coast, having taken pictures of a goose nest in a very remote location. This is how it should be. This goose nest is beside a river, but somehow the goose knew about rivers rising in the spring, and it has placed this nest high up out of the reach of a flooding river.
The nest is on top of this tree stump, out of sight, and out of reach of the spring run-off in a rising river. It is sheltered from aerial predators by the new growth on top of the stump. Being up high would also give it a slight advantage over animals that might threaten it from ground level.
But even with all of the advantages the goose has with this remote nest, it is probably at just as much risk as the town goose in David Kanigan’s blog post.
Thank you, David, for showing the city goose as compared to my country goose. I hope they both manage to bring off a nice batch of goslings.
April 25, 2021 at 9:57 pm
I hope so too. The country nest looks so beautiful with the downfill lining, and although there are no photos of the inside of the city goose’s nest, it looks uncomfortably made out of sticks and branches. The goose nests I have seen over the years look much more well constructed. But you might be quite right, the country goslings might not do better than the city ones.
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April 25, 2021 at 11:01 pm
They each might have different kinds of predators, so each has dangers to watch out for.
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April 26, 2021 at 11:38 am
Yes, they definitely do.
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April 26, 2021 at 12:00 am
I think it´s the right place for this beautiful nest. I´ve never seen such a comfortable nest.
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April 26, 2021 at 7:54 am
It does look soft!
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April 26, 2021 at 1:24 am
Let’s hope it’s the right spot. It sure looks cozy!
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April 26, 2021 at 3:39 am
I hope for best, too!
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April 26, 2021 at 6:16 am
I’ve never seen a softer looking nest as that country one! Beautiful pictures
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April 26, 2021 at 7:52 am
It does look cozy. I don’t think I’d want to leave the nest if I hatched in that one.
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April 26, 2021 at 6:48 am
A little human intervention might help. We have ducks in my neighborhood who decide to cross the street, ducklings and all. I stand out and stop traffic until they’re across. I wonder how one would do that with the nest.
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April 26, 2021 at 7:51 am
Not sure, but keeping dogs on a leash would be a start.
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April 26, 2021 at 7:54 am
You mean some people don’t? Hmm…
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April 26, 2021 at 7:56 am
Hahaha. Welcome to Vancouver Island “where dogs should run freeeeee.” And they often do – but only when they are out for a walk with their owners (who are … somewhere … well … they were there a minute ago ….)
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April 26, 2021 at 8:06 am
You make me laugh.
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April 30, 2021 at 8:26 am
BTW, thank you for ‘liking’ my education blog post. I get a lot of visitors there but they’re always quiet. I actually shut off the ‘likes’ and comments for a while because there were so few, it was embarassing!
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April 30, 2021 at 8:28 am
I didn’t realize it was there until today. I hope to visit it more often now.
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April 26, 2021 at 6:49 am
I’ve never seen a goose nest on any dock, ever and I grew up on a large lake. I hope they are able to hatch the eggs.
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April 26, 2021 at 7:55 am
I hope so too. I hope DK will let us know how it goes.
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April 26, 2021 at 9:05 am
The few goose nests I’ve seen have always been in forested settings by the water and always elevated for a good view of the surroundings. I hope this clutch on the dock make it too!
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April 26, 2021 at 2:49 pm
DK says the area is locked so only marina patrons would be down there. That helps some, but still ….
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April 27, 2021 at 10:28 am
With all the benevolent eyes and ears in this goose’s community, I think the odds are greater for a successful hatching & a safer early gossling life! Gorgeous photos and I cast my own hopes for their success in life, too!
🙂
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April 27, 2021 at 12:50 pm
I hope your good wishes come true, Laura.
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April 28, 2021 at 3:21 pm
Wow! There must be a wide range of intelligence amongst birds, just like humans! We found eggs alongside our garage one time and not much of a nest. It was as if a duck or a goose had dropped the eggs while on the run from something. They didn’t last long. At that time, we had several bull snakes roaming the property.
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April 28, 2021 at 10:34 pm
I think I’d run too if there were snakes around. So many predators! Very hard for birds to raise a brood without losing some or all of them.
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April 29, 2021 at 7:37 am
That’s why they have so many clutches, right?
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April 29, 2021 at 9:26 am
Yes, I think a lot of birds are repeat nesters for that very reason. They lose a lot.
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May 7, 2021 at 11:53 am
I enjoyed both the city and country goose nests, Anneli. You’re right, hard to know what will last, though the city goose nest on the pier looks exceptionally dubious. The thing about goose nests is that the geese get pretty confrontational with disturbance, so my hope is they will both succeed. Fun post, thank you.
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May 7, 2021 at 11:54 am
I hope you’re right, Jet. Thanks for reading.
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May 11, 2021 at 1:25 pm
Animals try to adapt to urban life, not always with the greatest success. Even the rare ones will give it a go – we’ve had a bizarre story here about a dormouse trying to hibernate in a traffic cone!
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May 11, 2021 at 1:33 pm
And I had bumblebees make a “hive” in some old mats I had thrown onto a lawn chair outside.
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May 26, 2021 at 4:10 pm
That’s one well feathered nest to lay down in!
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May 26, 2021 at 4:12 pm
I guess her goslings will be hatched out by now. Let’s hope they aren’t eagle food.
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