Have you ever stopped to watch a flock of Canadian Geese take flight. Also called the Canadian Honker, these birds are aptly named. They like to ‘honk’. And when they are getting ready to take flight, the random honking builds into a cacophony of honks in all tones. It is the signal to take flight! And as the honking reaches it’s peak, the Geese explode from the scene. What a sight, what a sound! I love the energy exhibited by Canadian Geese. Very large and powerful birds. Although typically much smaller, the largest Giant Canada Goose on record weighed 24 pounds and had a wingspan of 88 inches! Big bird.
Canadian Geese are probably most recognized in flight by their V-shaped formation. Interestingly, the Geese rotate the lead position of the V as that position requires the most energy to maintain.
Do Canadian Geese pair for life?
Great question. It is suggested they do. I have not studied Geese from that perspective to confirm but I’d like to think they do. Long lasting relationships, even for Geese, have value.
One thing I do know is pairs of Geese tending their Goslings are fearsome creatures. I was once bicycling along a trail near the river which holds numerous Geese. It was Spring and Goslings were everywhere! Protective parent Geese were as well. As I continued on my trek, I saw a family of Geese up ahead on the trail. I slowed down to give them time to move along. Unfortunately, they liked where they were and had no intentions to yield their position to me. I continued towards them, getting closer, when suddenly the pair of Geese, the parents of a dozen cuddly yellow puff balls, took exception to my presence and came towards me. As they got within range, they jumped up at me hissing and flapping their wings. The commotion nearly knocked me off my bike!
I grumbled a little at the Geese. But that is the nature of Nature. It is all about survival for the next generation and this pair were set on ensuring their young gaggle would be survivors.
Coming in ‘hot’
Geese are intelligent birds and, unfortunately for them, are popular table fare. Geese need to avoid hunters to survive. And they have developed tactics to do so. They will fly out at night to feed, for example. Well past daylight hunting hours. Additionally, when hunters are in the area, Geese will ascend to great heights, effectively placing themselves out of shooting range and fly in to the safety of a city or sanctuary.
One of my favorite moments to witness is when these high flying geese need to make an extreme correction in their altitude to drop into ‘safe’ waters, They are too high to simply glide into a landing so they flip upside down and drop significantly in very short distance. The entire flock will take turns doing this. They drop like stones, then flip upright to regain control. They repeat this until they are able to glide in for a landing. As they are flipping upside down, they make a great roar. It sounds like a flock of Blue Bills buzzing overhead at low altitude. So exciting to witness!
Canadian Geese and Photography
As you may surmise, I love Geese – and I love to photograph them. They make great subjects. The associated photo for this post features a pair of Geese taking flight from the lake. I just love the capture of water and debris they were kicking up as they ‘ran’ up to speed! The pair, in unison, is beautiful. This photo was taken with my Nikon D850 and a new lens for me! The Nikon 500 Prime. Wow, what a lens! Particulars are 1/2500 sec. f/7.1 500mm at ISO of 2000.
Check out My Gallery of Geese
I have a number of Canadian Goose images available for sale. One of the images, my personal favorite, is a panoramic shot of Geese in flight during twilight. It is so cool! I think I would look absolutely amazing broken into three panels for a stunning wall mount. If you are interested in doing this, please contact me as I will need to speak with my photo lab and provide specific instruction. In closing, I have a number of wildlife photography digital prints for sale at my website. Please check them out!
That is all for today. I hope you take the day and make the day great! Peace.
