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3/8/05 - 4/6/05

Poppy and Maudy, of course, finally get the best of the Gulls and the Gulls eventually don't even bother coming by--as per usual.

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Maudy has chosen her 

Nestsite 

It's on the little Island next to the Castle (which is the Logo for all of the US Army Corps of Engineers promo--the USACE 'maintain' the Georgetown Reservoir).  She's nested there before.  It's as safe as a nestsite can be at the Rez--there used to be Red-Tailed Foxes stealing goose eggs, but they built a new fence and I don't think they're a threat anymore; however, let's not forget the Crows = they like any sort of bird eggs and bird babies, too; and let's not forget possible human intervention (for whatever reason). 

It's taking her awhile to actually Nest, but she finally does so on April 13th.  We'll keep track of the days and see if she breaks her old record of 17 days without food or water.

4/15/05
I was going to stop by the Rez on the way to Work this morning but noticed some maintenance guys trimming grass inside the fence near where Poppy and Maudy have staked out their territory so I just cruised on by.

However, I had some errands after Work which eventually put me onto the C & O Canal Towpath (my favorite route for getting to and from Downtown = no cars--just bicycles, roller-bladers and joggers; and an occasional White-tailed Deer or Red-tailed Fox) and Up The Hill (always a real Struggle—an old Cyclist from Minneapolis taught me how to pace myself and hunker down and lean forward = I always make the Hill, but it’s also always Just Barely) onto MacArthur Boulevard (my street) and heading towards the Rez.  I’ve still got my Bird Bread from the morning, so decide to pay an unusual Afternoon Visit:

I pull up to the fence near the Castle and pull my Binoculars out (I don’t always carry them with, but it’s Spring now and soon there’ll be Migratory and Summer Resident Birds galore) and look towards the Island next to the Castle = yup, there she is—Maudy napping on her Nestsite.  It’s only been a few days, so I’m pretty sure she hasn’t laid anything yet.  OK.  Where’s Poppy?  Not in the water, that I can see.  Hmm.  I see other C. Goose pairs in the distance but nothing close to Maudy...  Oh wait, there’s one up on the grassy perimeter, farther back from the Island—just plucking away at grass and eating.  Hmm, that could be Poppy.  Does he see me?  He might, but he didn’t see me ride up on the bicycle and I don’t have the helmet on.  Well, I break some bread and toss it over the fence—maybe he’ll respond to that:

Yes, Here He Comes!

He starts flying towards me, but circles left a bit to make a point with a C. Goose couple that’s getting ‘too close’ then banks right again and flies to Me!  (All the while I’m yelling stuff like, “That’s right, Poppy, come on, man!”) 
“Pops.  Good to see you.  Yes, this is an unusual Afternoon Visit.  Everything is so Different in the Afternoon, isn’t it?  The Light, the Mood—all very Placid, if you know what I mean.”
Poppy nods = “Of course I know what you mean.  Why do you think we keep coming back here, year after year?” 
“Cool.”
Poppy eats some bread for awhile, then, oh oh:

Maudy Woke Up

She’s honking at Poppy and vice versa (and I’m ‘honking’, too—“Hey, Maudy!”)...

Here She Comes!

“Maudy, Maudy, good to see you!  I hope I didn’t take you away from anything ‘important’.”
She and Poppy do their Lovey Dovey thing and she gets a goodly portion of bread (when Maudy’s around Poppy has a much Statelier attitude and posture—he eats a bit, but mainly just lets Maudy eat and he does the Lookout thing). 

A couple of Cyclists pass by (on the Grassy Strip, not the street; which means you have to go a lot slower because there are all kinds of tree roots to navigate over, under and around) and one of them (a Female) hears me say, “It’s OK, Maudy, they’re only Harmless Humans” and she laughs,
“You’ve got names for them?” 
“Oh, sure, we go back 11 years!”
“Wow.  Nice.”

Then, a rather unwary Juvenile C. Goose comes up from out of the water and is heading our way (it could very well be one of P & M’s offspring who may remember me as the Bread Man).  Poppy and Maudy see it and I say,
“All right, who’s it going to be—Poppy or Maudy?” meaning “Who’s gonna do the Shooshing?”  I guessed right:

Maudy Takes Charge

Poppy just stands there, but Maudy hunkers down, fans and shakes her tail feathers and makes her Point: “Stop right there, pal.  This is Our Domain (I speak for that Gander over there, as well) and You’re Not Welcome.  Period.”  The Intruder stops.   
“Way to go, Maudy!  Sometimes I mistake you for just a Sweet Thing, but you also have an Assertive side, too.  Very impressive!”
She decides to go all the way with it and starts charging the Intruder and Poppy follows after.  They all take to flight--the Intruder off to the right and Poppy & Maudy circle left and glide into the water, headed for the Nestsite =

All’s Well & Secure

An enjoyable Respite from the Hum Drum for Me and My Pals.  Made my day (and maybe theirs, too).

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4/18/05:

Maudy started Serious Nesting on 4/13/05.  Sometimes she's known to stay put for the duration, but other times, like this time, she'll sit there for a while but then decide it's OK to visit Ted = no eggs, yet.

Monday morning, on the way to Work.  Poppy is waiting for me and comes straight to the fence, hisses and I say "Howdydoo, Poppeeroo!"  He gets a mouthful and, yep, Maudy starts honking and here she comes, too (this time she flies in fairly accurately--sometimes she's quite a ways off the mark and has to wobble back)!  The Dynamic Duo.  Good Buddies.  As long as I've known and observed them, I still experience Puzzlement--who are these creatures, anyway?  Eleven years and I'm still shy about looking them straight in the eyes, sometimes--there's something Distant about them and I don't want to upset them...  In other words, the Same Old Geese every year and the Same Old Scenario:  Mate (always in private), Nest, Birth, Rear, Teach and then Leave.  And yet it's still Fascinating to watch and be some part of.

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5/3/05:

Maudy did the Nest thing for 20 days.  Her Last Day was today, Tuesday, 5/3/05:

I took the Handycam with me on the way to work this AM (haven't done any of that this year, yet = it's a fairly big Hassle to rig Binoculars, Handycam, Tripod, etc. onto my Bicycle).

Poppy came straight to the fence, as per ususal.  But Maudy didn't come (and hasn't come for at least 10 days) = something must be Brewing down under).  I got some good close-up stuff of Poppy at the fence and then a nice Zoom upt to Maudy where she's Nesting.  She was preening, etc. and seemed to be doing just fine.

After Work, I decided to drop by and check on them again, and...

No Poppy (he could be Patrolling elsewhere, no problem).  But, wait...

No Maudy

The Nestsite is Empty!  Oh oh.  What's going on here?  Another False Pregnancy?  (She's done this in the past, especially in the last few years--she's getting Old, as we all are.) 

I look for either Poppy or Maudy and can't find any sign of them.  Maybe she led Poppy to a New Nestsite at the Backside of the Rez (where I can barely see anything, even through the binoculars)....  I decide to leave, but look back one more time at the Old Nestsite and...  Wait a minute.  I see one C. Goose on the little Island and another in the water.  I pull out the binoculars and it looks like it might be P and M, because...

The one in the water is Honking At the one on the Island.  It looks very much like the reactions Poppy has had in the past when Maudy's come up Empty on her first try.  I recall Poppy being 'pissed' at Maudy for at least a couple of days after one of those.  This could very well be Poppy saying, once again,

"I did my job, what happened to you?"

Poor Maudy.  She's looking down at Poppy and he's 'barking at her'.  Sheesh.  A Family Squabble, I guess.  I'm not too worrined, though, because they've always worked things out in the past, no matter what.

5/6/05:

I didn't see them for a couple of days, but saw them both on the Island today.  Maudy was hunkered down as if maybe trying again, Poppy was Guarding.  Then, Maudy got up.  She sniffed around and around.  Poppy just watches.  She seems to find a Suitable Spot, hunkers down and then decides it's not quite right.  More wandering around.  And then they both go to the Old Nestsite, sniff it and then (may lightning strike me dead if this ain't so)

They Kissed

Their beaks touched, that's for sure.  I think they were Making Up. 

Then Maudy went meandering some more and Poppy just preened and walked around, checking things out.  I left after a little while.  She may choose a New Site (if she's got Stuff Within) and it may be near the old one; but, it could also be far away and I won't know about it this year.  What I'll have to do is check out all new Goslings that come to the fence (they all do, eventually) and see if Poppy and Maudy are Parents this year, again.  Initally, they'll say "Hello" to me, still.  But, after awhile, they'll be in the Teaching/Guarding The Kids mode and I'll just have to guess after that. 

That's the way it is with them. They've got a good handle on their own affairs. 

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5/22/05:

I've been looking for P and M all this time and have seen no sign of them.  Yes, there are other C. Goose Couples who come to the fence, but they're not P and M. 

Several days back, I was cruising past the Rez and I see two C. Geese in the water Honking, Fussing and Flying straight to the fence = "Could it be?"  I pull over and push bread through the fence and they come pretty much straightaway.  But...

It's a Diffferent Pair.  They're very appreciative of the bread (especially the Female--she's almost Purring with delight), but it's not P and M = the Male is a bit too stand-offish and he doesn't have Poppy's eyes.  Oh well, it's nice feeding them, anyway--up close and personal makes my day, no matter who comes.

But, P and M: I'm sure Maudy chose another Nest Site and it's probably on the Far Side.  And that means Poppy follows wherever she goes and I'll not see them until she vacates this Second Nest.  If she comes up empty again, so be it, they'll make their way to the fence eventually and we'll bond again.  If she does give Birth, though, it could be Dangerous:

The last time Maudy produced a Late Littter, the other Goslings (who were much bigger by that time) almost killed one of Maudy's when I threw bread over the fence = the Bigger Ones came like gangbusters and pecked the hell out of Maudy's Little Ones = Survival of the Fittest = Lord of the Flies, somewhat.  And the Adults do absolutely Nothing about it--they never discipline their Kids, just make sure that no one else messes with them.   I must be very careful if Maudy succeeds this year = the bread-throwing must be in two directions: 1. for the Big Ones; and 2. for Maudy's. 

But, that's yet to be determined.  More later...

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8/20/05

Much time has passed.  This year has been a bit Strange and Not Quite So Interesting:

For some odd reason, the C. Geese have been spending almost all of their time at the Back of the Rez.  They rarely come to the Fence.  It seems there are Two Gaggles, but neither one is visible very often, not even in the water...

I scratch my head a bit: Why do they stay out of sight so much?  Why don't they come to the fence more often? 

I, of course, suspect something Nefarious on the part of the US Army Corps of Engineers (the 'catetakers' of the Rez).  They recently remodeled/re-did the Northern section = it disrupted lots of things and caused the C. Geese to spend Spring/Summer/Fall at a different location (wonderfully, they came back the next year!)  And the grass inside the fence was all torn up, which made me think they were trying to remove C. Geese Food Sources (grass).  As it turns out, that doesn't seem to be the case, but I wonder if there isn't a Chemical on this grass that might keep them away...  I don't know.  Maybe it's just a C. Geese Glitch...

I don't see them much at all/don't keep bread in my stachel much.  Oh well, it'll be Fall soon and they'll eventually migrate out.  Next year will be a good Test of whether the grass at the fence is undesirable...  Or something.  We'll see...

There is

One Lone Goose

on the grass near the Fence that I've noticed the past few days.  Loners intrigue me, so I'm going to try to make friends with it if I see it next time.  Why not?  A little Repartee' couldn't hurt...  And, don't forget, there are the Dookies (Mallard Ducks) and the Gullies (Gulls), too.  What the heck, I like the Crows, too (there's one in particular who's determined to catch bread mid-air when I fling it up for the Gulls... and never succeeds = funny).  It's just Nice to stop off at the Rez and 'talk to' creatures other than Human Beings = there are no Hidden Agendas, here...

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10/13/05

A couple of months pass by and this is where we're at now:

There are No Geese, No Mallards, No Coots swimming in either half of the Rez.  Day after day I look for something/someone to be swimming/in the water = Nothing/Nobody! 

What the hell is that all about?  I've never seen anything like it in 15 years.  At the very least there should always be a few Mallards (there always have been in the past) = None.  The C. Geese have been All Gone for quite a while, now (much sooner than in previous years).  And the Clincher is that there are no Ring-Necked Ducks, either (I'm sure I've written about how a small flock of Ring-Necked Ducks will migrate from much farther North to Winter at the Rez every year.  They are usually accompanied by several other species of migrating waterfowl, e.g., Bufflehead, Mergansers and Canvasbacks; but none of these are present at the Rez).

Conclusion (uncorroborated):  The Army Corps has done something to the water to kill the vegetation that usually grows there (there's always a time of year--late Summer--when the vegetation from the bottom grows near the surface and it's always fun to watch the C. Geese with their derriers pointed straight up in the air as they try to grab the tips of the vegetation under the water).  Can I prove this?  Nope.  But you tell me why This Year there are No Birds on or in the water at the Rez.  Somehow, the waters have become Inhospitable to waterfowl! 

It sure is an Empty Sight to see--two bodies of Water with No Waterfowl, None, Zip...

I've scoured the USACE Washington Aqueduct website  and I can't find any info on what they might have done differently this year.  But, as noted previously, they completely rebuilt the Northern half last year, and perhaps part of their plan was to eliminate all vegetation and Fish (yes, there always were Fish in those waters, too) = no more hassle from their end about Bird poop, etc.   For them, it would be a problem solved.  For me, it's Tragic and Unnatural.  They've never proven that Bird-poop has any effect whatsoever on the quality of the water they pump from the GT Rez to the treatment plant farther north.  But I know they consider the Birds to be a Nuisance = if there's nothing for them to eat at the Rez, they'll simply leave and probably not come back. 

I'll continue to monitor these things, of course.  But, at this point, it looks like USACE--1; Everyone Else Who Loves To See Waterfowl At The Rez--0. 

That's a Bad Score...

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1/24/06

It's 'winter', now (even though, the temperatures have been generally very mild all along so far and just a dusting of snow awhile back, but not a trace of it now). 

The last time I wrote I was sick at heart because the Rez was a couple of big puddles of water with no waterfowl (not even gulls) swimming in them.

Well, gradually, over the past few months, things seem to have gotten back to Normal: Mallards, Coots, Gulls and C. Geese (transitional, not residential) all swimming fine and dandy, it would seem. 

The key factor for me is that the Wintering Ring-Necked Ducks are back and seem to be just fine.  Have I mentioned them before?  I sure should have, because they are a major Phenomenon at the Rez in the wintertime:

They come from Up North somewhere and, God knows why, have chosen to make the Rez their Winter Resort every year.  I was curious to see if they would stay--if so, the water is probably just fine and there's enough food/nutrients for them to be inclined to stay = yes, there are about 20 or so.  Mixed-in are a few Canvasbacks and an occasional visiting Bufflehead or Merganser.  The Core Group is the Ring-Necked bunch, though.  I'm glad to see them stay.

There have been Canada Geese, off and on.  And they swim in both halves of the Rez = everything seems Normal.

So, the only thing to do is to wait for Early Spring when Poppy and Maudy should be making their way back.  I have no cogent theory why the waters were completely empty most of last summer--I'm stumped.  Algae or some nasty bacteria?  Don't know.  I just hope that won't happen this time around. 

In the meantime, I throw bread up for the Gulls.  And, recently, it occurred to me to get a few to come to the fence and take bread out of my hand through the fence.  Some have.  And at one point I thought I was beginning to establish a relationship with a Particular One (who seemed to be rather Alpha about everything), but I haven't followed it up on a regular basis and, truthfully, can't tell one from another--they all look rather the same...  That's OK, it's great fun throwing bread up before Work = puts a smile on my face before I put in those 8 hours of Drudgery.

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