Grady and Greta Goose

GRADY AND GRETA GOOSE

A NEW HOME IN GEORGIA





Grady and Greta Goose were excited.  Today was the day!  They had waited and watched and watched and waited for the first signs of their new baby goslings.  It had been a long month!  They had found the perfect site for their new family to be born.  The flight with their extended family of Canada Geese had been exhausting.  They had looked and looked for a new home until finally, they came to a small pond nestled into the rural farmlands of South Georgia.  There were tall Georgia pines surrounding the shoreline.  Scattered among the pines were oaks and magnolias and bay trees that were perfect for nesting.  Grassy pasture lands would provide grazing for the flock.  And, the temperature was wonderful.  After spending some time in the cooler climates of the north, the weather was a welcoming factor in their decision.  It was warm here!  And, it was inviting!  Perfect!

This was Grady and Greta’s first hatching.  Not long had passed since they had met and fallen in love.  Yes, it WAS love at first sight! Greta had admired Grady’s handsome profile and the way he strutted and spread his strong wings in front of her to attract her attention.  He was so very fine looking, and she knew that he would always protect her from harm!  And, Grady had been smitten by her beauty.  He knew from the moment that he saw her swimming on the lake in Northern Kentucky that she was the only one for him and that they would spend their life together.

Now, months later they were about to start a family.  The other pairs in their clutch had settled in the same surrounding area.  Occasionally, before time for nesting, they had visited and dined and shared stories on the waters of the many ponds and lakes dotting the nearby landscape.  But, now the time had come for Greta to build the nest.  It was a stunning nest built of pine straw and twigs.  She had lined it with down feathers pulled from her breast so that her eggs were protected from breakage.  Soon the nest would be filled with eggs.  They really didn’t know how many to expect.

While Greta worked at her task, she would stop only long enough in early morning or late evening to eat and to clean her feathers.  Geese take pride in cleaning themselves.  They must stay clean and dry to be healthy.  Once they have cleaned each individual feather with their beaks, they oil themselves to protect their feathers from moisture, weather, and parasites. The oil is found in glands located on their backsides. Grady watched as she worked.  He never allowed himself to get far from her.  He stood guard day and night just as he would while she was sitting on the nest.

Greta settled down to the task of laying.  Days later, she had only laid two eggs.  Not unusual for some younger females, but not the seven or eight or even twelve of others in their flock.  Still, two eggs would be a lot of work for the young couple. 

The incubation period was lengthy.  For thirty days Greta had sat on the precious eggs.  Grady defended her for each of the long days from any predator that might happen by.  He would spread his elegant wings, flapping and hissing a fierce warning in goose language that cautioned anyone who dared come close that he meant “Stay away!”  His neck would twist and bend in a strange fashion boldly  taunting anything to defy his authority as he protected his mate.

And now it was finally hatching hour! For some days now peeps and trills had been resounding from inside the egg shells.  They already knew the sounds of Greta’s and Grady’s voices.  Greta was astonished as the pecking began.  The egg tooth of the hatchlings had begun chipping away at the shells. Tap, tap, tap!  Before long, they would be free from the confinement of the egg and free to greet their parents and the world.  It was a slow process, and hard work for the tiny goslings.  Sometimes it took as long as two days for the hatchlings to free themselves from their first home. 

Early the next morning there appeared two fine looking small creamy white babies,  tired from their ordeal, but happy to finally see their mother and father.  Greta and Grady were elated!  How miraculous!  What a feeling like no other before!  They would protect them at all costs. No harm would come to their family! 

Although the goslings had just finished the task of being born, it was time for a swim.  Grady looked them over, checking for any defect that might attract predators.  There were none.  The new family members were as healthy as healthy could be.  It would be his job to introduce them into the water, and show them the best foods to dine upon.  New baby goslings didn’t have  to wait for feathers, nor to be fed by their parents for weeks before being able to fend for themselves.  They were able to swim and eat almost immediately.  Time to go!

Grady led the goose parade followed by the two new additions.  Greta followed closely behind.  The goslings would be safe between their parents.  Greta and Grady were constantly on the look-out for anything that might harm their babies. 

Splash!  The small family swam and swam about the pond.  The youngsters flapped their tiny wings and “wheep-wheeped” greetings to the fish and turtles within hearing.  Sometimes, when they ventured out too far from Mom and Dad, Grady would “h-ronk” a threatening sound at his new clutch and Greta would follow up with a shriller “hink, hink.” Chastised, the babies would return to their parents’ sides.  After a meal of pond weeds and grass, the family returned to the nest for the evening.  Tomorrow would be moving day!

The nest had served its purpose.  It was time to leave the nesting area that was isolated from other geese, and go in search of better feeding grounds.  As day dawned, the four geese set out to look for a better home.  It must be within walking distance because the goslings were too young to fly and Greta and Grady were unable to fly as well.  During mating and nesting season, geese shed some of their feathers, or molt.  These feathers begin to grow back during the weeks that they are awaiting their young, and are fully in place by the time that the goslings can fly. 

         Days turned into weeks as the babies matured. Now they were becoming able to flap their wings in preparation for flight.  Their down had turned into glorious pearly gray feathers flecked with olive and tan.  The seasons were changing once again, and the geese were getting restless--time to leave their nesting grounds for a short time.  They would return again next year. This year’s hatchlings would not yet be mature enough to start families of their own, but they would accompany their parents and the other clutches of geese in their flock back here to the same spot. 

         As Grady and Greta prepared to leave, they looked at their beautiful goslings.  “We should name them before we leave,” Greta said.  Grady looked lovingly at the pair.  They were very much alike in color, but one was much larger than the other.  Already you could see that this one would be a fierce protector some day.  The other’s features were softer and smaller, more graceful.  “We will call this one Gustav,” Grady announced pointing to the larger of the goslings.  “And,  this one will be called, Grace.” 

         So Grady, Greta, Gustav and Grace joined with the gaggle of other generations of family members.  There was much honking of greetings to one another as they took their places in the large V-shaped formation that would make its way to the next part of their journey.  Good-by to the Georgia pines and small ponds! Good-by until we meet again! 

         They were a magnificent sight as they flew away!