Saturday, October 3, 2009

The Geese Are Moving


One of the noticeable things around here at this time of the year is the geese. In the fall and the spring geese come around in hordes. Actually, the technical term isn't horde. For geese it's gaggle, but I don't care, this is a horde.

It seems that everywhere I go I am seeing gaggles(hordes) of geese resting in their favorite places. What are these places? The places I find them aren't lakes or ponds. Well, I guess it's not really a big secret or anything, and since it's you who I'm talking to, I guess I can tell you. The place I constantly find these geese are on any large patch of grass.

If you have a large yard with no fences or any wide open area that is full of grass, and you live in an area like mine, you'll see geese laying around. The grass has to be short. If it's even half as tall as the geese they won't like it. They especially love freshly mown grass. Mowing kicks up all kinds of stuff that they like to eat.


The geese also can get kind of loud this time of year. You'll hear their honking calls from very far away. They also get quite rowdy. You'll see them running around in their large crowds, playing and fighting for the oddest seeming reasons. I've seen anwhere from one to several hundred geese gathered in an open area like the one in the pictures.

This is also the time to be careful around the geese. They won't really do like a squirrel would, and run towards you to protect their territory. They're only visiting, so they are only there to rest. But if you get too close to a goose you might be sorry.

A goose is much bigger than a squirrel. They can seriously injure you if you seem like a threat. Most of the time they'll just ignore you or move away, but not if you get a particularly mean one that doesn't want to move away from you. You can still get close to the edge of their group as long as you don't bother them too much.


This is what happened when I got only a little too close to a few of them. Maybe they were leaving anyway, but any others just moved away when they saw me standing there. There were about fifty geese out there when I was taking these pictures.

The pictures could have been better if I wasn't still experimenting with my new camera add-ons. One of these times I'll find the right balance to use the camera and the add-ons correctly. I hope I will. For now the pictures are inferior to what I was getting before, except they're a lot closer to the animals.

It's been raining here for several days and there's no end in sight yet. I hope to show you a few interesting things I've seen before the weather changed. Maybe now in the next several days is my chance. This will all work out one way or another. I'll be right back here tomorrow, and today I'll be trying to catch up on reading your blogs. You all have a lot of blogs that I like so much. See you soon!

20 comments:

  1. great pics...in your last pic you don't have a 'gaggle' of geese though...once geese take flight they are a 'skein',,,,I always remembered it as we were told....a gaggle on the ground and a skein in the sky!!

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  2. As I read your title, I thought the geese are migrating.

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  3. I think you're doing great with your new ad ons. I've seen a lot of geese lately but never when I have my camera or the time to stop and take pictures. just my luck. We've been getting that same rainy weather here too, and man is it getting cold.

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  4. The Canada geese are always interesting to watch. I remember in Georgia in the winter months you could see huge fields just filled with these beautiful creatures. We should be seeing them flying over anytime now on their way south.

    The males are far more aggressive than the females when they feel their territory is threatened. They will 'charge' an intruder. If one spreads his wings and make a hissing type sound an attack will follow. Best to be careful and watchful.

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  5. The geese are downright obnoxious these days! They are walking in droves everywhere and making tons of noise. Yikes!

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  6. Since we are so much north of you..we don't see a lot of gaggles around on the ground...but I HAVE seen at least 4 flocks flying in a big "V" going south...so I should have attached a HI RATTY banner behind them so you could see it when they arrive downstate into your fields. :-}

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  7. there are tons of geese here, especially now when it is getting colder. i thought it was always weird that they like to be in the bay while there is ice on the water. thousands of them. and they are noisy as heck. have a wonderful weekend my friend...hugz!

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  8. I didn't know that these geese can attack people if we get too near to them.

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  9. Are geese really mean? I chose them as the meanest animal on your blog poll...

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  10. I agree about the new mowed grass, because our soccer field is full of geese, and their droppings..They are very noisy, and obnoxious!

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  11. Yes, the geese do gather in fields of mowed grass. Like the grass at my sons football practice. To be honest, kinda makes for gross sometimes.

    I am always shocked around here how many stay all winter to huddle on frozen ponds in the winter. If I had the option, I'd go south for the winter.

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  12. I have mentioned before about the goose that killed the coyote on my grandfather's farm. He beat it to death with his wings. Geese are strong and don't give way to larger animals easily.

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  13. Some great photos of the hordes! Golf courses seem to be favorite spots for geese gatherings. I guess there is always freshly mown grass there for some good eats!

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  14. allotments4you - That's a good way to remember it. Last year when I was doing some research on geese I noticed they are called something different for each place they are. I like the word gaggle though, but I like the incorrect "horde" even more. :)
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    Rainfield - You got it correct. The geese are migrating.Around here some migrate and some stay here. There are so many here that they have learned to live in our cold weather winters.
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    Ann - I wish it would warm back up for just a short time. Maybe the return of the sun will help with that one.
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    SquirrelQueen - I've gotten pretty close to these goose gatherings, and I'm glad none of them have hissed at me yet. I usually stay just far enough away to keep them happy.
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    Lin - I'm just glad they aren't playing and fighting next to my bedroom window this year. It used to be a favorite thing of theirs, right up until I started this blog.
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    The Retired One - I might have been able to get that banner. I think a lot of your geese might just stop and stay here for the winter.
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    PJ - Their tolerance for cold water is amazing. I watched them flying in last spring right before my little lake was just beginning to thaw.
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    VanillaSeven - Oh yes! Geese can kill if you make them angry. They have been known to kill dogs, and they have injured humans. I'm more careful around geese than I am around deer, which are much bigger. And I've been threatened by deer many times.
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    Roschelle - I don't know if I would say they are mean, but they are definitely dangerous if you provoke them. Just like squirrels, they are more willing to attack a human than most animals are.
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    Icy BC - Their droppings are the thing I forgot to mention. This makes geese some of the most disgusting animals, and it's the reason why a lot of people really dislike them.
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    DK Miller - They are some of the dirtiest animals out there. I think they have learned to stay in cold areas now because there are so many of them, and they have learned to beg for food from humans.
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    Mother Goose - That is an excellent example of what these geese can do, and how dangerous they can be.
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    Buggys - I never thought of that one, but golf courses would be favorite places for geese to gather.

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  15. Even here in Thailand we get quite a lot of bird migration. Its Raptors at the moment. I remember also back in the UK seeing flocks of Canada Geese at this time of the year.

    Keep plugging away with the camera-I am having similar problems with my Canon-pictures seem inferior to my old point and shot. Guess I really need to learn how to compose a photograph!

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  16. I love the pictures. I also love geese. I'd much rather have them than the squirrels that are all over the place.

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  17. i actually simply say "flock" well, i just apply it to all :)

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  18. I just heard a flock of Geese flying over today. But I was too late to get a shot at them. But I'm sure there will be lots of others going over. I kind of like hearing them. I never knew they flew at night till I had my window open one night watching the fox and heard a flock. hope I can get some video of at least one flock heading south. You sure do have lots there Ratty!

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  19. It's really new thing for me that they could be dangerous.

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  20. Mike - The raptors are just beginning to show up where I am. I'd like another good picture of a hawk.

    It seems like camera problems only happen to us when we begin to understand the cameras a bit. :)
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    Jen - Both squirrels and geese have their good and bad points. Neither one are good to have around when there are too many.
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    Betchai - You're right to say flock. Flock is actually proper for all birds, even geese.
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    Ginnymo - I like hearing the geese too. I don't think I've ever heard them flying at night. We have a bit of a goose overcrowding problem here. Very many people think of them as pests here because of it.
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    R4 - Yes, geese can be very dangerous, with very little to provoke them.

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