Been perusing the large flocks of Canada Geese that stop at the confluence of the Schoharie Creek and the Mohawk River to rest on the gravel bar there. (Sometimes that activity is rendered somewhat challenging by the Bald Eagles that also like to peruse...and dine al fresco...there).
Yesterday, with only about ten minutes to spend, I was rushing to scan, and then photograph, and then scan some more. At one point I caught a flash of pale yellow, and thought immediately, neck band. Then I couldn't find it again.
However, upon returning home I found that I had caught, not one, but two neck banded geese, standing side by side, with very similar tag numbers.
I submitted both to the USGS band reporting site and discovered this morning via the report from there that they have been together for at least, four, probably five years, and that they were banded up near Lyker's, which is one of our favorite birding spots. One was a male, the other female. They may well be mates.
How cool is that? I love spotting and reporting bird bands and learning a little bit of their stories. There is more to goose lore than honking in the night sky and pests littering lawns for sure.
The video below was taken after a Bald Eagle strafed the flock feeding on a corn field adjacent to the boat launch. Another one was already eating something on the gravel bar, while being harasser by a number of crows.
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“There never was such a goose. Bob said he didn’t believe there ever was such a goose cooked. Its tenderness and flavour, size and cheapness, were the themes of universal admiration. Eked out by apple-sauce and mashed potatoes, it was a sufficient dinner for the whole family; indeed, as Mrs. Cratchit said with great delight (surveying one small atom of a bone upon the dish), they hadn’t ate it all at last!”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
How amazing that you were able to photograph those neck bands with numbers so legible! And then find out such fascinating information about those individuals. Lucky geese, to have lived together for so long! And lucky YOU, to know where to go to discover that information. Regarding the eagles: do they actually kill the geese to feed on them, or do they just harass them?
Tim, we like them cooking in a stew with cranberries....lol
Thanks
Jacqueline, I was tickled as I always am when we find a goose with a neck band. Most of the ones we see are banded up near Lykers, but some have been from Canada as well. And yes, the eagles kill and eat Canada Geese and assorted local and visiting ducks regularly. I could not tell from photos of crows on the leavings what the immature bird was eating, but I am betting on goose. Makes picking rarities out of the flocks a challenge as they seem to spot the eagles flying in from a long ways away, and take flight as soon as they see them. However, they can read their body language on whether or not they are hunting. If they are not, the geese and ducks will not fly and will barely even cackle. Never a dull moment out there on the river.
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