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4/25/99
POPPY AND MAUDY
Canada Geese. They're wonderful in so many regards:
For
one thing, there's nothing (in this DC area, at least) like the sight and sound of a flock passing-overhead, in-formation,
honking. It always excites...
For another thing, I've been closely observing the Canada Geese at the Georgetown
Reservoir for about six years.
[Ed. note: The fenced-in (US Army Corps of Engineers- maintained) Georgetown Reservoir
presents a Unique Situation: Humans can closely interact with Canada Geese without the usual Drawbacks: Goose Poop (goose-'grease');
and uncontrolled Overly-Aggressive Goose Behavior (if you've ever stood in the middle of a free-roaming Canada Goose Flock
with food in your hands, you know what I mean). Less these two factors, the Georgetown Reservoir Encounters are essentially
hassle-free/always enjoyable.]
Poppy and Maudy are a pair that I 'discovered' six years ago.
I've been bringing
day-old bread to the Reservoir for a long time--the local Deli lets me have it.
And these particular Two became very
familiar with me and would look for me in the mornings (I ride my bicycle past the Rez every day of the week, except when
it's raining)--they'd eventually recognize me from 50 yards and fly to the fence even before I got there! I've become very
attached to them and it seems we have a real Bond going on...
Their story each Spring has variations, but it's
essentially:
1. Mating (never in public, though)
2. Nesting
3. Birthing
4. Rearing
5. Leaving
There are many stories from past years that I'd ike to tell (hopefully, I will); but, let me start here, for now:
POPPY AND MAUDY 1999
Part I
This year/this Spring, I had a hard time finding them. There
are two halves to the Reservoir and they weren't on their usual half this time. But, I finally did positively ID them (not
without difficulty, though: Canada Geese all look pretty-much-the-same--the Females are a tad smaller; but the markings are
all the same = confusing).
The way I ID Poppy and Maudy is:
1. The way they come to the fence.
All the other
Geese know me, too (Mr. Breadman). And some come running and honking to the fence, rather like Poppy and Maudy. But P and
M come directly together, straight up to the fence, without hesitation. And:
2. Poppy--he has a thin, sort-of-milky-white
ring around each eye. It's not easy to see clearly, but I can make it out and it's definitely Him.
Maudy--she has this
incredible look: something on the order of Apprehension-melting-into-Trust. It slays me...
Right, but then I didn't
see them again for at least a week and I worried: If Maudy were fertile, she should be Nesting by now. Maybe she's doing that
on the far side of the water; but, she's never done that before. Maybe she's infertile this year (maybe Poppy doesn't have
it any more)... Speculations... To be sure, if she's nesting on the far side I'll probably not really know it's P and M this
year, then = bummer.
(Ed. note: After the babies are old enough, no matter where they were born, they'll all end up
at my fence--which involves these two phenomena: 1. the Creche--Canada Goose day-care; and 2. the Gaggle--the entire flock.
More on this later.)
By Creche-time, the parents are now all Collaborative Guardians and their individual identities
become blurred: Is that you, Poppy? Maudy? I can't tell...???
So, on my way back from Rose Park last night, I stop off
at the Deli for more day-old bread (not to give to the Geese that evening--I don't feed them at Dusk: they're winding-their-day-down
and it's best to leave-well-enough-alone). And as I'm passing the Rez I'm looking over at some CG's semi-silhouetted against
a dusky-red sky and I say, rather quietly: "Hey, Gooses, you look pretty good in-this-light and at-this-time-of-day:
very Pastorale." And two Geese in the water look up and start honking and running to the fence! I'm past them already,
but I look back and they're running after me, honking... Oh, geez. All right, Ill make a U-turn. And I pull the bike up to
the fence and I'll be!... It's
POPPY AND MAUDY
The Call of the Wild = Beautiful! It's them, all right.
And we talk (well, I do most of the talking; they do little grunts and neck gestures). And I always have to reintroduce myself
a bit, but we do Connect, again. And it's very cool.
Initially, when I break the bread up and squeeze it through
the fence, they both grab it right away (I make sure I have bread in both hands so they don't have to fight for it); but,
after a bit, Poppy backs off some--I don't stare at him too long because he takes almost anything as a Threat: he's constantly
guarding Maudy--no Goose, no Body is going to get too close to his Mate; hell attack, no question... As long as I keep talking
in a normal voice and just glance-over-at-him-from-time-to-time, I'm OK.
(Ed.: He really wouldn't attack a Human, anyway--he
instinctively knows the Odds. That doesn't mean, however, that he won't pose a token Threat or two.)
But, you know,
he still seems a little different this year, somehow.
(Ed.: Birders have a term--Jizz--that connotes inexplicable phenomena:
you observe/perceive it, but you can't quite describe it.) And I have a Theory why:
Last year, and years previous,
Poppy has proven himself to be the Georgetown Reservoir Alpha Male Canada Goose. Every year he has to earn that title: I've
seen him do neck-in-beak battle with plenty of other Males. I've seen him chase them into the water, dunk their heads (just
for a quick moment), and then he/himself dive and resurface.
(Ed.: CG's are surface-feeders, not divers. But Poppy sometimes
is so full-of-himself that he does a Victory Dive just to rub-it-in.)
This year, I'm thinking maybe he's been
successfully dethroned (it happens to every Alpha Male, eventually). And it's probably a Bummer for him.
Then, throw
in the speculation that Maudy is very late for Nesting (most all the other Females have been Nesting for more than a week)
and may not Nest at all = Bummer for both.
We'll see what happens. It's a different Scenario every year and I
find it rather fascinating: It's some sort of Reach Out program: instead of Hands-Across-The-Water, it's Hands-And-Beaks-Through-The-Fence.
I feel like I've made contact with the Other Side. I like it a lot.
E.
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5/27/99
POPPY AND MAUDY
Part II
It's been a while since I've written about P
and M (I went through some horrendous Home upheavals--a very long story, but suffice it to say I'm very happy with my new
apartment).
The good news about Maudy is that she did become Pregnant and she Nested (for the first time) very-close-to-the-
fence. When I first discovered her there, I wasn't sure about ID, but Poppy helped me out with that: He came straight to the
fence and honked the attitude "Hey, Ted, we did it again!" It couldn't have been any other CG Male.
Maudy's
nesting was very late. I wasn't so sure that this was going to be Real (she'd laid a False Egg a couple of years ago--a lone
egg that was very early. And it disappeared in a couple of days. Did Maudy push it into the water? That's what I think. It's
not important, though, because a month later she laid four eggs that were for Real). Well, Maudy got up from the nest for
a moment and I see at least Four Eggs (maybe Five)! This is exciting. But, one of the eggs is a much darker color than the
others (which made me think that this one probably won't make it--f any make it at all).
Once I discovered the
Nest, I'd bring bread by every day. Poppy, of course, would come right over and partake. But, Maudy would get off the nest
and come over, too. This was Odd: In all the times-past, she'd never left her nest--for anything (I counted seventeen days-in-a-row
one year). This is where I got the notion why the Female CG is the first one to the fence for bread--she needs as much body-fat
as possible, because once she lays those eggs she can't leave until they're all hatched. Well, Maudy just broke that Myth.
And I'm a little worried. I 'intimated' to her that maybe she shouldn't be getting off the nest at all. I, of course, always
deferred to her superior knowledge on the subject. But, her getting-off made me think that maybe none of these eggs were for
Real and she knew it and they really didn't matter... Well, excuse me:
Today, after Work, I made sure to check
in on her( because yesterday and this morning she did not get off the nest). And what do I see?
GOSLINGS
At least three! (maybe four?) They look like they've hatched within-the-hour. And Maudy is looking Proud. And Poppy comes
over to the fence and says, "Was there ever any question?" I'm ooh-ing and ah-ing. And then Maudy decides to leave
the nest and come over to the fence = not a great idea, to my mind. I tell her, "Better be careful, Maudy. Do you see
that Crow up in the tree? I sure hope so, because he's been coming around the past several days and every time you got up
from the nest he'd fly over towards the nest. You and Poppy would then chase him away from the eggs. Which is fine enough,
but you've got hatched Babies, now. Mr. Crow makes me nervous. Please, Maudy (and Poppy), keep an eye on that guy, OK?"
(Ed.: I've got nothing-in-particular against Crows. They, like CG's, mate-for-Life. They're interesting to observe; and a
Juvenal learning how to 'caw' always cracks me up--he sounds like he's got a sore throat. But, I was Rudely Awakened last
year by something I've never seen before: a Crow snatching a baby Mallard chick from a brood of six; killing it; and eating
it--all just a few yards away from me! My Assumption that Crows were not carnivorous--until now: I'd never seen them kill
another animal--was proven quite false. As ghastly as that was for me, the Mother Mallard was not paying attention and saw
none of what I saw--she was maneuvering for some of the bread at the fence. When she finally checked on her brood, she seemed
unconcerned--there was a brood; it was hers; and off they went...)
Well, I wish Poppy and Maudy all the best.
I'll see how they're doing in the morning. I hope Mr. Crow is a major focus for them. To be sure, though: "Congratulations!"
E.
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6/3/99
POPPY AND
MAUDY
Part III
It looks like P and M have done very well as regards Mr. Crow: all three Chicks are intact.
But, there's a new situation now and it looks pretty grim:
I knew it wouldn't be long before Maudy instinctively
brought her chicks over to the Creche (Canada Goose Day Care: eventually, all the young are brought-up together.
It
starts with one couple and their brood being given another couple's brood--you'll see two Parents with a dozen or so; or two
sets of parents with a bigger bunch; finally, all the Juvenals are together (a Creche) and several sets of Parents are the
Guardians). The Big Problem is that she had her brood so late. Only one other Female CG was as late. So, almost all of the
Juvenals in the creche are a month older than Maudy's kids and it's
"LORD OF THE FLIES", CANADA-GOOSE-STYLE
One day, I find Maudy and her Three on the fringes of the Creche. Maudy's Three are still cute, little Goslings.
But the Juvenals in the creche are already in the Jurassic phase: awkward, pre-historic-looking Teenagers.
I try
to throw the bread intelligently: I throw the first bunches as far from the fence as possible--to get the Creche far away
from Maudy's Three. Then, I squeeze some through the fence for the Three. This works for awhile, but all too soon the creche
gets wind of the bread at the fence and it's Chaos. Maudy tries to fend them off, but there are too many. They trample over
the Goslings, push them out of the way, peck them until they drop the bread in their mouths... it's shocking! At one point,
I see a Juvenal pecking a Gosling and he's rolled it over on its back and I thought he was going to kill it, so I'm yelling,
"Stop that! Get out of here!" (Ed.: Oh oh, Human Intervention--politically incorrect?.) The Juvenal backed-off/went
away. The Gosling was on its back and couldn't get turned-over. I saw peck-marks on its neck and thought maybe it'ts too late.
But, I stuck my hand under the fence anyway and was just barely able to flip the little guy over... Whew... It seemed to walk
OK; and it joined Maudy and Siblings; and they kept a safe distance from the Creche; and they seemed all-right-enough, so
I said "Good luck, kids. Gotta go"...
(Ed.: Where Poppy was during all of this, I can't say for sure. I think
he was one of the Supervising Adults (of the Creche) which somehow lets-him-off-the-hook: he's no longer responsible for the
Wife and Kids--now, the Creche is the only thing that matters; and what happens in that Creche is just Part Of Life--no Adult
steps in to discipline them; they just watch over them.)
Final note: Today, I saw them one more time: Maudy and
the Three! So, there's a good chance they might make it. If they don't (the Goslings)--well, that's pretty much the old Life
and Death thing: the Geese don't seem to mull these things over; they just accept what-is... After all, there's always next
year: same time, same station...
As regards this Spring/Summer/Fall, I'll be losing track of Who's Who at the
Rez pretty soon: Everyone mixes-in and it becomes a true Gaggle of Geese (the entire flock as a unified entity). I won't get
to re-know Poppy and Maudy until next late Winter/early Spring...
I can't wait...
E. (TedEBoy)
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