Sad Little Goose Story

A sad little goose story:

Some may know that a specific pair of Canada geese has nested on our pond every spring. Geese mate for life and return to the same nesting place every year. These have annually built a nest on our island. The germination period for the eggs is 28 days. During that time, the female sits on the eggs, except for roughly a half hour each day. During that time she joins the male, usually for a brief swim.

Two nights ago a fox, raccoon or other predator raided the nest and ate the eggs. This caused, as one would expect, loud and sustained protest by the frantic mother during the attack.

Geese will mourn the loss of a mate, as they sometimes will the loss of a nest and its eggs. By coincidence, two days ago her mate was forced to defend their residence on the pond from another pair of marauding geese. Meanwhile his mate lay in obvious mourning in the woods behind our house. The male apparently won the fight, for the marauders were gone by morning.

The pair spent yesterday together, but the entire experience was apparently too disruptive for them. This morning the male was gone and the female spent the entire morning in the grass before the ledge. Still as a statue, she stared at the ledge the entire time.

At about 3pm, she dropped into water and swam directly to the former location of the nest. She stood there for 5 minutes, then swam ashore. She spent about 45 minutes walking around the yard and into the woods, emitting brief, pitiful little chirps. Obviously calling her missing mate. She stood on the edge of the pond for about 5 minutes. Then she spread her wings and flew, first skimming the water, then lofting high into the air. Her compass pointing north.

•