Memory Lane Moment #4 comes from mod IrisCats, who wrote: “How could we ever forget the goslings’ heart pumping leap of faith as they jumped from N2B?!” This was far and away our most watched moment of the year. While Canada Geese remain a controversial subject – some of you love them and some of you don’t! – it was fun to learn about and watch a new species.
Mother Goose laid seven eggs. Five eggs hatched, four geese survived the 70′ leap of faith, and we saw three goslings swimming with their parents the next day. Read more about the differences between Canada Geese and Bald Eagles here: https://www.raptorresource.org/2022/03/25/canada-geese-precocial-versus-altricial/ or relive the jump here! https://www.raptorresource.org/2022/05/03/goose-jump-highlights/.
Did you know?
Canada geese were once much rarer in the United States and a subspecies – Branta Canadensis Maxima – was considered extinct until a relict population was found in Rochester, MN: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/a-minnesota-towns-love-hate-relationship-with-giant-geese. However we feel about Canada Geese, their wildly successful return underlies the success of the Clean Water Act. Erosion and non-point-source pollution remain problems, but our waters are much cleaner than they were when the Act was passed in 1972.
The Raptor Resource Project