Friday, May 2, 2014

Goslings and Geese Behavior

Did you know it isn't easy photographing Goslings? You can get close to Goslings and they will not head for the water. But when the Goslings are tiny, off they go with Mom in tow. My guess is they are more vulnerable the first week which is probably how old these little guys were and why Mom immediately trotted them off to take a swim as visitors approached at Lake Nevin.
As the Goslings played follow the leader with Mom and Dad, several of them got a little mouthy. For little guys they definitely have spunk.

While the geese were meandering around Lake Nevin, along came another pair of Geese. And then this strange behavior occurred by the parents of the Goslings.
After some research I discovered that the 'crooking of the neck' is a sign of aggression Geese display to ward off other geese. As it happens with six very young Goslings in tow, the parents decided the strategy was needed. After the geese passed, they abandoned their aggressive stance. I had no idea geese even felt aggression toward other geese. Who knew. ENJOY!

4 comments :

  1. What a gorgeous family of ducks ! Really beautiful photos !!

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  2. Lovely little ones, and on land, a goose that is aggressive will bend his/ her neck if they decide to attack or even think about it. Maybe just the change in stance is enough to frighten another. Love those photos with ripples. Cheers, Jean.

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  3. Great captures of the little ones, Carol. I love to learn about creature behavior.

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  4. Beautiful pictures of the geese and goslings. I didn't know that about geese either. It's really interesting to see.

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