Monday, March 4, 2013

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 ?
~

11 comments:

  1. The geese are so cute, the eyes are adorable! Great photos and post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. They really are beautiful geese. I can see a fox being beaten up by these guys. Do you let your ducks keep your garden clear of slugs and insects?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. The very reason I got my ducks was to kill every snail and slug within 2 miles. In 2011 I lost 70% of my garden to snails. Zamillions of them. I tried every non-chemical method to get rid of them and none of them worked. Silver Appleyard ducks devour snails and any other garden pest in their path, plus ants, mice, tomato hornworms and moles too. They also chase woodchucks off the property. Best investment ever!

      Delete
  3. They are beautiful!! I'm surprised they "accepted" you so easily, I thought geese were mean but these guys don't look mean at all. So, when are you getting your goose?!? ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I enjoyed this post. I use to live way out in farm land in texas and I agree with you about the incubator. :)

    http://www.atmycounter.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh How cute I once had peking ducks. I love your pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  6. haha love the photos of the geese. a few years back, when my oldest took karate lessons. there were 2 geese that were hiding in the bushes off of a very used pathway. my friends and i were sitting on a bench and would laugh our heads off watching people walk by and the geese running out of the bushes scaring them and chasing them lol...still makes me laugh!

    ReplyDelete
  7. These geese are cute, but I have nightmares about them stemming from childhood! I had a friend who had a flock of them and they used to chase me and nip at my ankles, lol!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love your geese pics, Janis, especially the "boss guy" who keeps getting in your face ... glad you had the where-with-all to get the pictures and not jump out of the way. Thanks for joining Walk and Click Wednesday!

    ReplyDelete
  9. LOVE that gander looking up into the camera... !! Thank you for joining in 'Rurality Blog Hop #5' Hope to see you next Wednesday for #6...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love the pics! Especially the close ups! Thanks for sharing on Wildcrafting Wednesday!

    ReplyDelete