High Noon in Goose City

Well, Hideaway Pond has suddenly become Canada goose central. Three wood ducks who dropped in during the morning found themselves in the midst of “High Noon” in Gooseville. Two invading geese had descended out of the blue and attacked poor Gus, our goose-in-mourning due to the loss of the family eggs to marauding critters. Geese are very territorial and one pond is usually too small for two families. No matter how large the pond or small the families. So it’s “Git outta town” for one of them. The fight continued all day, the contestants sometimes walking, sometimes flying. Strange, but then geese are not given to deep thought.

Apparently Gus prevailed, because the bellicose pair was in absentia this morning. Minus a few feathers and a little pride, I assume. Meanwhile Gilda, the mourning mom lay quietly in the woods behind our house all day. Still inconsolable.

The passage of his royal buckness and his harem at nightfall got little notice after the day’s excitement.

Today was much more peaceful, in spite of more avian tourist activity. Three mallards and six geese splashed down in the morning. Two families of wood ducks arrived in late afternoon. Everyone behaved themselves. Even the geese.

So today was basically uneventful. Even boring, one might say. But it gifted the Hideaway with a beautiful finale as a quiet sunset painted the sky above Overlook Mountain with a palette of deep pink and gray. Silence