Uno's Web Page
|
Uno's Web Page |
|
|
The Grassy Knoll Spring, 2006 - One late afternoon I heard the sound of honking geese from a small hill just above the lake. Since this knoll was separated from the water by a wall of boulders and a row of shrubbery, the geese did not normally frequent this area (too risky... a predator could be lurking). I walked over to the area to see what the honking was all about. Lo and behold, a little gosling and its parents were making their way to the lake. A welcoming party of about eight geese from the main flock had walked on the sidewalk around the rock wall and up the knoll to greet them. First, I wondered if this was the Nomad family. If so, they had lost four of their five goslings—quite a sad prospect. But this was readily ruled out because:
Since the gosling was the only one around the lake, I immediately named it "Uno." The word "uno" means "one" in Spanish, and it's gender-neutral for a name. (We won't know whether it is male or female for 2-3 years.) |
|
|
|
The parade of geese (about ten in all) and Uno began walking toward the rock wall to go around it and into the water. Suddenly a large pit bull dog appeared on the sidewalk, led by its owner. Instantly the group of geese panicked and flew above the dog and owner, down to the water. Sidekick, who was in the parade as well, could only run past the dog and over the rock wall into the water, almost getting its wing chewed on the way. Now Uno was left all alone on the hill, out of sight of its parents. A side note: Our community does not permit specific breeds of dogs to be here, including pit bulls. This moment began a process to have the dog removed, lasting several months. But that's another story. After the dog scare/interruption, I returned to the lake about an hour later. Thankfully, Uno was reunited with its parents; they were paddling cheerfully about the lake. By the way, the geese will ignore some dogs but not others. The ability geese have to judge threats to their safety is impeccable. |
|
Uno Grows Up While Uno was a small gosling, its parents remained in hyper-vigilant mode. When any person or another goose was near Uno, Mom or Dad kept their heads low to the ground like a snake, hissing at the intruder. This worked quite well, effectively warding off three or four large geese at a time. At night, Uno and its parents roosted on a fountain base that is anchored at one end of the lake. Uno climbed onto the fountain and went under its mothers wing for protection. As I brought food to Uno's family, the parents began to trust me enough to allow their gosling to eat from my hand. Each time I can hear it softly whistling or warbling like a distant songbird. (At only 2 to 3 months old, Uno cannot yet honk or grunt like adult geese.) Uno's parents show amazing deference to their gosling, allowing it to get most of the food I bring to the family. |
|
|
|
Uno's appetite exemplifies that of a typical gosling, eating almost continuously. It will even come up on the bank at 1 or 2AM to graze. When I bring corn or bread, Uno continues to eat grass with each step on the way to me. When the food I brought runs out, he often resumes eating grass without missing a beat. Uno has also become the star in a game I call "battleship." The game involves picking a goose on the water and seeing how close to it I can throw a square soup cracker. Or, I might pick a spot between several geese to see which one gets there first. (It's possible to throw a cracker like a Frisbee, around 75 to 100 feet.) Uno has a secret weapon for this game. At this point its over-sized legs and feet make it possible to literally run on top of the water. It can go up to three times as fast as an adult goose can paddle. It's fun to watch Uno hydroplane around adult geese to grab crackers right from under their beaks. Summer, 2006 - As Uno has grown this summer, its parents have become more hands-off toward protecting him at group feeding time. Not knowing the risks, Uno once jumped right in the middle of a group of large geese that were devouring a bunch of corn on the ground. Suddenly, I heard a high-pitched squeal as a big gander latched onto Uno's side. Uno retreated to the water for safety, still squealing. Forever changed, the gosling now approaches group feeding time much more cautiously. It will sometimes squeal even when another goose just looks at it funny. Welcome to being a goose, I suppose. |
|
The pale, yellow tinge of downy feathers that Uno once had is nearly gone. Its white cheek patches are emerging from the grey neck area, which is becoming more black. So, it's getting more difficult to spot the gosling from a distance among the flock. Soon I must find unique characteristics so that it will be possible to identify Uno as an adult. Toward the end of molting season, the flock of geese began what I call high-speed taxiing along the ground—otherwise known as running with wing assistance. Apparently the adults and gosling(s) test their new feathers together. I saw just a few short flights off the bank and into the water, perhaps just a 150 ft. flight. If there was any other practice flights around the lake, I didn;t see them. Suddenly the flock flew away one evening to roost, and Uno was gone. Fall, 2006 - Fortunately, Uno has returned to the lake on several days. I can recognize its facial patches with the rounded tops. The other identifying trait is this: When Uno eats corn from my hand, its beak pinches much like a 4-year old boy might do upon discovering how to squeeze a pair of needle-nosed pliers. Such a reunion might bring tears to one's eyes, but for all the wrong reasons! Nevertheless, it's always nice to have Uno visit its friends at its childhood lake.
|
|
|
Winter, 2006/2007 - One evening in January, just before dusk, Uno and his parents stopped by for a quick visit. I interpreted it to mean that they were still a bit hungry, not finding a lot of food wherever they spent the better part of the day. Uno ate an impressive amount of cracked corn from my feed tub, while his parents ate corn from the ground a few feet away. After finishing his corn, the daddy goose waited on Uno for 2 or 3 minutes. The daddy then gave a few quick honks and the parents began their takeoff run and flew over the lake. Uno immediately brought his beak out of the corn tub and joined in the flight, as the family flew off to their roosting lake together. Sidekick also joined in the takeoff run, but fell immediately into the lake. It appears that Sidekick's special bond with Uno's family remains to this day; she does not attempt to join just any geese that fly away. |
|
Copyright 2006-2007 Bruce Beverly. All Rights Reserved. May be used elsewhere only with written permission from author. |
|
