2015 goslings from the pair that nests each year near the pond behind the extended-stay hotel.

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While Mother Goose sits on the nest, Poppa Goose chases anything that gets remotely close to her.
The nest is on the opposite bank from this juvenile tricolored heron, but that was still too close for Poppa. (Photo taken through the fence.)
[The goose is in the water near the bank with its mouth fully open hissing at a tricolored heron which is on the bank walking quickly along the edge out of the goose's reach. The heron still has quite a bit of rust-colored feathers amid the grey-blue ones. An adult has no rust-colored feathers.]

Mother Goose taking a 'standing' break a few days before the eggs hatched.
[The adult goose faces the camera as she stands over a nest. One large egg is half-way above the ground. Another egg is just barely visible above the leaves of the nest. There is grass growing through the leaves on the ground. In the background is the pond.]

Fresh-from-the-shell goslings on April 6, 2015. This year five greeted the world.
(363 days after their siblings hatched in 2014.)
[The mother has her head bent down in front of the five fuzzy, yellow-brown goslings who sit huddled on the leaf-strewn ground.]

Still day one so Momma keeps the little ones warm and hidden by keeping them under her wing. The curious little ones want to be out where it's light enough to see.
[The mother sits on her nest with her wings spread apart a bit so she can cover the goslings. Her body is faced away from the camera, but she has her head turned and looking at me. Two little goslings have poked there heads above her wing so they are exposed.]

Compromise position as everyone gets low.
[The mother now has her head facing away from the camera. All goslings are below her wing, but three of them are looking out the back side toward the camera. They have their heads low under the covering of her wing, but are still intently looking at the world.]

The next day they begin searching the pond banks for food.
[TWo fuzzy yellow and brown goslings are wandering through the grass that is taller than them. The far one has its head bent to the ground while the other one is upright.]

And they take to the water.
[All five are together (as if they are velcro'd) in the water. The long hairs of their downy surface sticks in all directions above their bodies. ]

This year all goslings are between their parents as they swim.
[All five are spread out a bit as they swim between their parents. ]

Their down is not as waterproof as feathers will be.
[Two goslings stand in water shallow enough that their bodies are above the water line. The lower half of their bodies is wet from swimming and very different-looking from the fuzzy down which is dry. ]

The entire family was gone by the subsequent morning. Only the empty shells remained.
[An image of the nest with eggshells in the center and downy feathers amid the leaves around it. Tall grass shoots through the leaves in patches away from the nest. ]

Continue to page 6 to see the failed nesting attempt.

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All photos © S. M. Garver