Snow Geese

I went to pick up 4 newly hatched chicks today and had quite the adventure going to get them

The directions were hazy, there were no street signs anywhere on the mountains in the town I was driving in and the weather turned from bad to worse the higher in elevation I went. The snow came down thicker and faster with every mile and minute.

Trying to find a yellow cape with an attached barn was as confusing as looking for grey Tacoma's....they were everywhere!   Plenty of capes, in various shades of yellow and all with some sort of attached shed, coop, lean to or barn, all 5 miles apart on the worst winter roads as the snow was covering the giant potholes in the dirt roads.  I even came upon a car accident, a family had missed the curve in the downhill slope of the road and gone off the road and up against a guardrail. They vehicle was packed in snow underneath and the wheels were stuck deep.
 I had a shovel.
The son, who just had a hernia operation, dug around the car and dug underneath it to free it. He found their headlight and a fog light while shoveling. There was a bumper in the road ...it was not theirs.
15 minutes of solid digging and pushing and the car was free.  I often wonder why people do not carry shovels, blankets and socks in their vehicles in the winter.

Anyhow,  I drove for 3 times longer than I should of had to, but I knew I was at the right place when I looked up on a hill and saw the geese.  In a really cool Long Trail/Appalachian Trail type shed.

 

I met the owner and got a great tour and introduction to his Pilgrim Geese.

Here is what I learned:

The girls are gray and the boys are white.

Just about everybody, that has animals, has at least one Subaru.

There are many areas in Vermont that do not have DSL or even dial up, but everyone has an incubator!

A goose can stare at you for hours without blinking.

 

 Richard buys lots of greens for his honking family.

They are very gentle with him.  Of course the big male goose eats first.

 

The head honcho goose tells the rest of his family that I am a stranger and he will interrogate me, goose style.

  He did.  

I can't help thinking that he looks SO much like Jimmy Durante.

 

After I passed muster the beautiful goose family posed for me and gave me a private tour of their digs.

Of course I had to ask about racoons, coyotes and fox and why the geese have not been bothered in this minimal, open sided shelter.         Richard said he has seen fox walk right along the fence with the geese chasing and swearing at them the entire way.

These Geese are tough.

 

Once you get a clean "bill" of acceptance with this flock, you are recognized as a friend.

 

But every so often the head goose has to get in your face to make sure you are cool.

 

 

Size 18 feet, as big as a medium sized watermelon. 6 times bigger than my ducks feet.  Wicked bright orange and will squash anything and everything those toes come in contact with.

Its funny how the boss of any group always tries to look like they are large and in charge..

And all I can think of is:  Don't honk with your mouth full!

 

But those baby blues get me every time.

What kind of goose are you driving ?
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