This page contains adult wing growth and flight formations. The adults lose their flight feathers and grow new ones each year. By the time the feathers regrow, the goslings are mature enough to learn to fly.

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This is an adult goose who is losing his flight feathers exposing the white and dark brown sections on its back end.
[An adult goose sits in the water with its back visible. Some of the dark downy feathers on its back are visible because flight feathers from the middle area have already dropped off.]

Adults lose their flight feathers and grow new ones each year so for a period of time none can fly. (parent on the left and a gosling on the right)
[Back end view of both birds. The parent is larger and has longer tail feathers, but both are missing the flight feathers which cover the brown and white downy area of the backside.]

The new feathers are already beginning to grow even as more old ones fall out. (Close view of the adult goose in the first photo 10 days later)
[The back end of a goose with a feather half-hanging as new hollow stems sprout above it.]

Another adult goose growing new feathers.
[The back end of a goose with two rows of new hollow stems with dark brown sprouts at the end of the bluish stems.]

This adult bird has all flight feathers. (The wings seem to be the bulk of the goose's body.)
[Side view of a goose standing in the water waving its wings. Wings are completely behind the bird.]

Different adult bird with full flight feathers outstretched.
[Back view of a goose standing in the water waving its wings. Wings are completely behind the bird.]

Same adult bird as previous photo 'parking' his wings.
[Back view of a goose standing in the water waving its wings. Wings are partially folded onto its back.]

Canada geese flying away from the camera.
[Three geese in the air flying away from the camera. The wings are out of sync so all are in different positions. The sky behind the birds is blue with a covering of white hazy clouds.]

Apparently some of these birds are still learning the optimum vee formation.
[A sky view with 8 geese in the upper right corner of the frame. An additional 11 birds are grouped together in the lower half of the image in no recognizable shape.]

This early November sunrise image includes 57 geese heading south.
[A sky view with 57 geese in a vee shape. One side of the vee has about a dozen more birds than the other size.]

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All photos © S. M. Garver