No Goslings??

[HunterGKS]

Yesterday, on the drive home from lunch, I drove past a pond where I generally see a few goslings this time of year. I was surprised to see 6 adults as 1 pair usually lays claim to the pond & drives the others off. I was also surprised to not see any fuzz balls. Is anyone see goslings?

[turkey_slayer]

I've seen a pile of fuzzballs lately. Some only 5-6" inches tall and some around 10" tall. Have seen a few mates with none

[redarrow]

My wife and I celebrated our 33rd anniversary on Thurs.We hit a few antique shops and then had lunch at a park on the Huron River. I found a duck egg that had been broken into and appeared to have a duckling inside. Haven't seen any goslings or ducklings yet though. Should be seeing them by now.

[Bigspurs68]

Plenty here along the river.

[HunterGKS]

My wife and I celebrated our 33rd anniversary on Thurs.

Your wife must be a Saint!! Congrats to both of you but especially her.

[redarrow]

Thank you, I Think.

[Spuriosity]

I have a pond with a very small island in the middle. I put a washtub out there and fill with pine needles for local geese to use as a nest box. They raise a brood every spring. Sure 'nuff, in March the geese show up and fight for the right to use the nest box. Goose sets, gander stands watch. Come May, no goslings? Couple weeks later she's setting again. My cousin was down there fishing and saw a black snake swim to the island, run the geese off,and crawl into the washtub to get the eggs. A couple of well placed .22s put an end to that. A couple years ago, same cousin did the same thing to a coon that was swimming out there to get them. Geese don't stand a chance. And if she's successful in hatching a brood, turtles and bass get half of them before they get big enough to make it. Usually 2-4 survive.

[Shooter]

Dang Wes, nothing like a sad story to start my day.

[GLS]

There's a 19 acre lake on private property that we hunt turkeys. We'll see a few goslings at first and then they'd disappear. Probably coyotes. We'd see them grazing in the pines well away from water and they were sitting du..,er goslings for ambush.

[HunterGKS]

Thank you, I Think.

What???? You doubt my sincerity???? WHY I OTTA!!!!

[Shooter]

Usually this time of year I'm on the lake almost everyday, fishing for something. You will see the fuzzballs all over with Ma and Pa.
Been on the water only twice in the last 2 months, so I haven't seen any yet.
Still can't put the dang boat in the water by myself yet, and Lily can't back worth a crap at the ramp!!

[Bigspurs68]

I'm gonna have to take back my previous statement. We had been seeing little ones along the river. Today we went to town in WV. Passed 75 to 100 geese bunched up near the locks in the mowed fields and not a single fuzz ball.
There are some nesting eagles nearby but I can't imagine them killing that many.

[Andy S.]

The two geese on our lake has 6 goslings.

[Spuriosity]

Dang Wes, nothing like a sad story to start my day.

Well this one's better. Went to my property about a week ago to put some fertilizer on a clover field and spray it for grass. Rode up on my ATV, and there was a hen laying on her belly in the field. Thought maybe she was sitting on a nest. Took a step toward her. She jumped up and did the broken wing thing walking away clucking. Went over to see if in fact she had been sitting on a nest and 5 little poults scrambled in every direction. They were about half the size of a bobwhite quail. Couldn't even begin to fly. Must have only been a couple of days old. She had them in there bugging. In just a minute she walked right back by me yelping softly to gather them all up. Wish they'd been more, but at least she had five.

[turk835]

I've seen a number of pairs with goslings this spring here in NW PA.


Bill

[ICDEDTURKES]

Most likely molt migrators