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 I thought I'd talk a bit about bears, a creature I have yet to meet, although I now live closer to bear country. I moved to Eastern Shore CT-- not really by the shore, deeper inland by lakes and woods.
There have been bear sightings, but not recently, although a few have walked down a nearby street. Three years ago there was a mother and yearlings who frequented the neighborhood. Everyone took down bird feeders and were careful with garbage pales on garbage removal day. The bear stole a few bird feeders but that was it. She stayed by the lake with her kids and preferred humans leave her alone. Once the feeders came down and garbage was secured, she stopped pilfering. Bears are like that. You remove the easy food, they walk away. Bears are not lazy, they are smart, and smart animals, including humans, when given a choice will always take the reward that requires less work. If you could choose how to make a million dollars and one choice required 12 hour work days, six days a week for four years, the other was buying some meme coin that everyone says is guaranteed to rise to a million dollars in a few days you'd take the meme coin. Right? Same with the bear. So if we leave out food? That's an easy choice. Bears are amazing creatures. They rarely eat animals. They prefer plants, fruits and nuts, insects, lizards. They are omnivores but lean towards veggies and fruit. Still, even with this vegetarian diet, by the end of the eating season, the bear is fat. But only if the land is healthy. Droughts, fires, overdevelopment, flooding can damage the land, leaving it unhealthy. And bears cannot thrive if the land is unhealthy. So their population is a good indicator of our land's health. Female bears are desperate to gain weight by winter so they can go into their torpor state with enough fat to sustain a pregnancy and nursing. If they do not have that fat, many times, the fetus will not survive. It is reabsorbed into their system. A natural abortion which serves as a population control when food is not available. Since bear fat is critical to their survival and ability to propagate, by fall, the bear is in fight mode, desperate to eat and put on weight. If the land is not healthy, they could venture into human territory to find food. And this is the bear's greatest threat. Humans. Particularly humans with guns. Most humans do not understand black bears, and history tells us that when humans are fearful and misinformed, they resort to violence. Thirty-two states allow bear hunting--all of the Western states and most Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic, and Appalachian states. Connecticut has so far held off the eager hunters, although every year bear hunting bills are considered. This year a bill is being seriously considered that will allow farmers to expand the circumstances necessary for a bear kill. While the bill, S.B. 1523, has not been approved by the Senate, it is expected to become law. No longer will the farmer be required to use other non lethal strategies to deter the bear first before resorting to the gun. They can now just shoot the bear when they see it eating their corn. Furthermore, the farmers complained about having to request a permit, which takes time and by the time the farmer has the permit, the bear has left the farm. So, now, the farmer can kill a bear that munched on its crop the year before. How do they know its the same bear? How do we know the farmer is telling the truth and not just shooting a bear? I suspect this law, if passed, can lead to many false killings and complications. Mothers leaving orphan cubs behind. Bears passing through will be shot. Bears wrongly identified as a past thief will be shot. There is plenty of support for these hunting laws because every time a bear charges a human, it makes the news. Black bear attacks are rare, but when they happen, we all know about it. The pro-hunting crowd always emphasize the danger of the growing bear population, as if the bears are looming around the edges of our neighborhoods, ready for a fight. But they are not looming around our neighborhoods, and black bears do not like to fight. Most charges are warnings. On average, the US records about 3.8- 4 black bear attacks per year. And rarely do any attacks result in death. According to North American Bear Center, only 61 people across the entire North America have been killed by a black bear since 1900! Compare this to dog attacks. It is estimated the dogs kill 50 people annually in the US alone. And as I stated before, when food is scarce, bears have a natural population control feature -- their reproductive systems, which cannot nourish a fetus unless the mother has a certain amount of fat. If the mother cannot gain sufficient weight, the fetus is reabsorbed. There is no need to kill bears to cull population growth. And while I do understand the problems with farmer's crops, there are many ways to manage the field in order to deter bears. Electric fences. Noise. Scarecrows. Etc Etc. A few may have to be killed, but I don't believe we have to kill bears we "suspect" ate corn last year. Killing a bear in the act of eating all your produce is one thing, shooting a bear you suspect ate something last year is quite another. Truly, where's the due process!? And don't go away, it gets worse. People determined to kill other animals will not stop. HB 7051, which has not been called for a vote but is being considered, proposes hunting and killing bears to lower the risk of bear human confrontation. Will this lower the risk? Or raise it. Sure, there. have been close encounters of the black bear kind in Connecticut, but rarely does the encounter result in harm. Bears can be encouraged to move on with hand waving and noise. They are not looking for trouble. Furthermore, most bears only come around if there is an abundance of food easily available. So get rid of it. But if you start shooting bears? I wonder if they will see humans as enemies instead of nuisances. Look, we humans tend to read stories about one scary encounter with an animal species, then create horrible images of that creature in our mind. That tendency to stereotype is exacerbated by eager hunters who take advantage of incidences in the news to promote fear. What if the bears create images of us based upon our encounters? If continuous shooting results in a bad impression of us, bears may no longer quietly pass us by. They may not run away if we wave our hands. If they see us as bad animals--and killing with no cause, no need, would be seen as unusually cruel-- they would begin to think of us as enemies and attacks may rise. This is what happened to elephants in Africa when too many were murdered by poachers. They attacked villages. When a dog attacks a human in CT, law enforcement can order the owner to put it down. However, we don't grab our guns and start shooting any ole dog that happens to run by us off leash! There is is no need for bear hunting. Bears do not need hunters. Thank you for reading.
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Duck love! Well, kind of. Actually, it's duck sex. Based upon my observation and readings, ducks are not like other birds or even other waterfowl. Once the mating feathers arrive, ducks have sex. All the time. Sure, when the spring comes, they pair up and mate often, but they also mate in the fall. Often. Usually they are paired and the mating occurs between couples. Bachelors attract the free femals with a grooming dance. They push their chests out and flap their wings slightly. This is supposed to be duck sexy to females. The duck couples I know stay together for life. But? The female sometimes strays. This may be to assure she has good sperm saved. The female duck stores the sperm. She mates during the spring, but also has reserves. Or some females have reserves. OK, so what I caught on tape today is unusual. Unusual, only because I haven't seen it often. I'm sure there are other people out there who would tell me that this may be what they've witnessed, so they would disagree and suggest that this is not unusual. That's fine, but it's my blog, so I get to say unusual. This drake is gorgeous. I've noticed him strutting around. Perfect coloring. Beautiful head. Perfect. Well, it's obvious I'm not the only one who feels this way. So, today he swims into my pond with two hens chasing him. They were not simply following him to eat. No, no. These hens know a good thing when they see one. Below are the females chasing the male. And lucky me, one female won and the male and her decided to give me a show. And that is the next video. How was the female chosen? I have no idea. After swimming after the cute drake, one female simply swam away. I didn't hear anything, no quacking. There was no pecking. Nothing. One simply gave up the chase, leaving the other with the sexy drake. Then they mated, and I was able to capture it on video. Listen to the other hen screeching after they mate. Jealous! So, you're welcome. Fall in Connecticut is gorgeous. The first picture is the road to my house, second Selleck's woods. This is why autumnal landscape is described as as fiery. The reds, yellow, oranges scream at you before they fall to the ground. I put the third picture of end of summer roosting egrets up to display the difference. The next picture is a raptor specialist who made a presentation at an event in our town That's a spectacled owl. He at first told everyone he was going to present an eagle owl. I am not sure he corrected it, but when he pulled it out, it was obviously a spectacled owl. Just amazing looking bird who obviously saw me taking his picture and posed. And last picture. Fall is a great hiking time of year but sometimes we simply want to read. My bulldog was very sick and recovered! She was so glad she had a book to read during recovery. Remember, there are books to read even if you're not sick! Dead Fish for example. Tap on the bulldog reading my book to go to amazon and order one for yourself.      Below, Lorene and baby. The first is when she was itty bitty, the next two were taken a few weeks ago. I have not seen Lorene and her baby in a while. I am hoping she joined a pack. She's a loner but in the fall, usually, they join packs for protection.
And above, Louise. She returns from wherever she has been. I think she migrated north when nesting failed. She's back. I know it's Louise because when I call her name she walks to me. See above.
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So, we get to put our feeders back up, says CT Audubon. More about what happened when I put them back up. But I'd like to discuss what happened when we all took them down. Of course, the birds flew away and the yards were quiet again. But, importantly, the blue jays disappeared, and I think it's quite fascinating how that impacted the entire community. The blue jays were integral to the community. Once they left, everything came to a quiet hault. OK, I admit I'm biased. I love blue jays. I wrote a novel and gave a flock of them a voice, not just for fun but because I noticed they had a voice--a strong, loud and vibrant voice. A voice that changes depending upon mood and danger. One voice perhaps for me when at the feeder, another for predators, another for mates, another for offspring and one for just sitting around happy. They also imitate--hawks mainly. And, importantly, blue jays notice. They notice other birds, they notice the squirrel, the rabbits. And they notice the hawk. So, I chose the blue jay for my strong bird character who has a voice and notices. But I am not pointing to the blue jays' importance because I love blue jays. The blue jays have always guarded the neighborhood and alerted all of to the presence of the dreaded hawk. While the blue jay are protecting their nest and families, they're also protecting the community. I've seen a flock of them save a squirrel. I've seen them swarm a hawk after a rabbit. When they screamed, if I were home, I'd walk out and try to find the hawk. I know they saw me, I know they understood this was their job. I tossed them peanuts on occasion in the evening when I came home, particularly if they did a good job screaming hawks away. After the feeders were taken down, the blue jays flocked me for a while and screamed, but eventually they flew off. I suspect they migrated to areas full of insects, less foraged than my pond. I did find several at one walk with my dog. The walk was by a small pond with overgrown algae and a shoreline filled with tangled grass and weeds and all kinds of insects. As soon as I approached the pond, the air filled with blue jay screams. I was glad they were feasting on healthy meals. When the blue jays disappeared from our yard, so did other birds. That may not at all be connected to the blue jay. Once the human stops feeding, all birds will go elsewhere for food. This was what Audubon CT wanted, a disbursement of passerines, a bird social distancing. But when the blue jays left, it wasn't just the other birds that left. Squirrels disappeared. Rabbits disappeared. Chipmunks stayed away. Sure chipmunks were there, somewhere, but they did not show their cute faces to the world as often when the police disappeared. Only the Turkeys and ducks still walked the property. And, of course, the hawks came out. They flew quietly in the air, their shadows flicking across the yard--the only hint to their presence. They sat patiently hidden behind verdant branches. Occasionally they made these quiet, quick screeches to each other. I assumed these were parents talking to the offspring. They were teaching hunting skills. They were all more successful with no blue jay loudly announcing their presence. So, the raptors hunted freely. And the animals noticed. Basically, at least in my community, which includes not just my yard, but the entire neighborhood, the police disappeared. And when there's no police, it's best to stay hidden, or find communities that have police. Communities filled with blue jays. Last week, the Audubon CT sent out a news release advising everyone that feeders can go back up. The number of ill birds has dropped to a level that is acceptable. As long as everyone thoroughly washes feeders once a week with a bleach solution, they are good to go. I usually wash every few days and bleach soak once a month anyway. So, I put up the feeders. The chickadees arrived after a few hours. A few sparrows. A couple of doves appeared under the underpopulated feeder. After a day or two, I heard the screams in my canopy. The blue jays were back. One molting blue jay tasted some seeds and that was it. The jays didn't really eat much that I offered. I tossed some peanuts and only two blue jays picked them up. There are so many insects in the humid air, they were fine with food. But they were here. Did they notice the feeders and decide to roost in the canopy and eat insects around it. Why? Soon, the finches and sparrows, nuthatches, titmouses, goldfinches all arrived. And that afternoon, the chipmunks skittered around. The squirrels were still scarce, and I've seen only one rabbit. However, we've had an abundance of coyotes and many sightings of coyote pups early in the summer, so I assume there were out with their offspring teaching hunting. And, again, there were no blue jays to warn prey of dawn and dusk hunts. I hate doing this, but just this once I'll tell this story without linking an article for back up. I can't find it. I will keep trying. Anyway, here's the story. In England there was a small lake where everyone visited with their bags of bread to feed ducks. Bread, as most birdlovers know, is bad for ducks. It absorbs water in the stomach, reducing appetites and resulting in malnutrition. They warned residents to stop, but they still showed up and fed the ducks. The community of ornithologists became frustrated and finally convinced everyone to stop feeding the ducks. I don't know how. Signs. Articles. Maybe the bird scientists walked around shaming everyone. I have no idea. But, everyone stopped. Within a few months, residents started finding starving ducks. Many starved to death. Ornithologists were so concerned, they recommended everyone feed the ducks again. What happened? Why didn't the ducks forage and eat healthy food? Well, maybe, the ducks came to the lake not because it had enough food for all of them, but because it had enough bread for all of them. Once that bread was abruptly taken away, the lake could not provide enough nutrients for all the ducks. Why didn't the ducks fly away? Who knows? Many probably were raised eating bread and had had never traveled to another area during this time. Maybe parents had planned their nesting around the human feedings and could not leave their young. And maybe, just maybe, they were dependent not only on the bread, but also on the comfort of community. Unlike these English ducks, our passerine bird feeders usually provide only a small fraction of food intake. I do think they rely on the feeders during May and June nesting season and may plan nesting accordingly. But, in my non-science-simply-observing opinion, the feeders (and this may be why the ducks didn't fly away, too) provide a different type of dependence--community. I realize some ornithologists look down upon the feeder community. Feeding birds creates a kind of dependence. It can also create a petri dish of diseases if you do not clean often and birds eat to close together--spreading illnesses. I also think this dependence can result in too many birds occupying a territory that does not naturally have enough food for them. That can be dangerous when birds nest and create communities solely because of the feeders, and then the feeders go away. I think we all get this. We have to be careful not to overfeed. But maybe the ornithologists need to study something else the feeders are providing--an interdependent community. When the feeders went back up, blue jays arrived not because they needed the food, but because the feeders signaled that birds were once again welcome. The blue jays came back to the community to open up the police department. I attended a zoom conference sponsored by Connecticut audubon to update all of us on the songbird crisis. Below is a picture of a hummingbird contemplating life. I called this one my buddhist hummer. Anyway, if you click on that picture, you will be taken to the video of the zoom meeting. More dying birds have been found in CT, and, as expected, they now believe the illness--whatever it is--has arrived. It looks like no return to feeders until perhaps late fall or winter. They didn't suggest a time frame and didn't offer any speculations. In fact, one ornithologist indicated there were "some" birds that tested positive for pesticides. They also said they were looking into whether this was trich and botulism. We received very little exact data. Or at least no visuals. No charts or details. I suppose this is to be expected. We don't know. But we've not known for a long time. The chat box was flooded with questions but the director of the labs spent a long time discussing the efficiency and quality of his lab. When asked if they tested the sick birds for pesticides, he said no because the order of testing had to be methodically adhered to. I.E. they only test for other toxins after diseases have been ruled out. I asked why they could not test for both at the same time, but my question was swallowed up by the plethora of comments, questions.  Sally's babies are big now. Very big. They sometimes come without Sally and eat a bit of duck chow and corn I put out. I only put a bit out with water, then take it back up when they leave so as not to attract song birds who need to social distance. The babies are quite independent but still huddle together and usually hang out with the mom. Sally flew in later, after this video, to keep an eye on them. I can start to see the differences in male and female. Or I think I can. A few of them are bigger, have larger heads and greener beaks. This fall the colors will come . No one quacks yet. So because they're all close to Sally's size, quacking is the only way I can tell the difference between Sally and the others. Sally quacks. These babies chirp. Also, Sally's beak has more black than her babies. They fly now and will line up in the yard with Sally, quietly count to three, then together fly off. I don't know if they are counting to three, I just feel they do. There are only eight now, down from ten. So hawks or owls or coyotes snatched a few. I can only imagine the danger out there. I am glad they have a place to come to feel safe, drink good water, eat some treats. They are such fascinating creatures. I wonder if they like it better now that the birds are gone and it's quiet. I suspect they wonder why I am not feeding the birds anymore. Maybe they don't care, but I do know they notice. Everyone has noticed. The blue jays stayed around and yelled at me for days. I tossed some peanuts to them to quiet them. But they eventually flew away. Of course we do have hawks flying around with their juevies now. The squirrels have scattered too. As far as updates go on the songbird situation. I've read nothing new. I do believe they have found a few sick birds in Ct. That was expected and now we are trying to prevent its spread. I have not read any toxicology reports. Seems like it is taking centuries to test for pesticides. There has been a reduction in reported sick birds. In Virginia, reported sick birds have fallen over 50% since June, so that is good news. In the meantime we shall hope they find lots of insects and flourish. There is another issue I stumbled upon recently I wanted to share. Invasive plants. If you're starting your gardens, it's important to plant native plants. That's particularly a priority when searching for new trees to plant. Always look for native trees. Native trees fit into our ecosystem, providing healthy nourishment and protection. Invasive species of plants or trees can lead to complications. They can take over a land. They can be more vulnerable to disease. They are not a healthy contribution to our ecosystem. An example of damage done by an invasive species is the poison hemlock.(tap the goldfinch for an article on it). This plant was native to Europe but managed to find its way here. Maybe someone liked the flowers and brought it home, got sick of it and tossed it and all its seeds outside. Who knows? It has arrived and it kills anything that ingests it. It can also cause health problems if one simply touches it. And I mean touches it anywhere. Stem, seeds, flowers. The poison hemlock can create 30,000 seeds and has no real predator, so it spreads fast. It is a big problem in Indiana and parts of Ohio, but is probably in other states, too. It particularly spreads fast during wet seasons. If you seen one, protect yourself, call someone to remove it, or remove it yourself. If you click on the goldfinch below (from a few months back, before we had to take up feeders. So sad!) you will be taken to the article on poison hemlock. Thank you!  If you click on the book cover below, it will take you to another audubon update. This article details the pathogens they have tested for and ruled out. It also points out that states that called for the removal of feeders have seen a reduction in outbreaks. This is good news. We still do not know about pesticide contamination. I think seeds should be tested. I will continue to harrass DEEP and Audubon until I find out if they are testing seeds for fungus and pesticide contamination. Also, more news that reminds me of my novel predictions! My novel revolves around dead fish and how a convergence of interrelated factors, notably corrosion of septic tank systems, contribute to algae growth and the resulting fish death wave. If you tap on the picture of dead fish below, you will be taken to another article that discusses our nation's algae problems. This environmental hazard not only suffocates fish, but also harms our health in ways unrelated to fish. In fact, even passive interaction with the environment this polluted can impact your health. Tap picture beneath my book cover and read.   Although this all feels depressing, there's also positive news. Democracy is working again (for now). Our institutions are not broken. Environmental agencies are investigating dying songbirds. Information is being disseminated properly, so everyone is informed and can all take action. Environmental institutions are exploring solutions to the algae issues. When a liberal democracy is healthy, there's hope. Proper regulations put into place by the people, institutions created by the people, reign in myopic greed and work for the common good.
If you've read my novel, you know that in my fictional story, set in the future, thoughtful restraint and proper oversight are subsumed by greed. We had lost our valid, liberal democracy. Societal cost solutions require investigation, information dissemination, strong institutional involvement. Once democracy is weakened, then lost, corruption follows. Institutions are corroded or taken down. Greed and short term gain take precedence over long term thoughtful action. If you love wildlife, if you watch and feed birds, then make sure we continue to have a democracy. Support our institutions. Believe in science. This is not political, it's reality. Just in case someone reads this and wants to read my novel, I won't give too much away. I'll just say, my novel is set in the future and the ecosystem is corrupted due to our negligence. My character, Lorraine becomes obsessed with dying wildlife--dead fish, crows falling from the sky. Etc. While I set my novel in the future, I know we have serious problems right now that could lead us into a slow wildlife death march. I just didn't expect it to be this dramatic, this fast. Basically, the picture below reflects my state of bird feeding in CT now. CT Audubon has recently recommended we take down feeders, even though to date birds appear to be healthy. The mysterious illness in songbirds that started in Washington D.C and spread to the Mid-Atlantic is now a concern for the Northeast and Midwest. So far, states include: Washington DC, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana. And possibly, Tennessee, Florida and Rhode Island. Wisconsin Audubon has recommended taking feeders down, too. As most bird lovers know by now, this is a songbird crisis, and it probably has a lot to do with us humans. This bird illness is spreading, causing birds to literally fall from the sky. Blue Jays, Grackles, Cardinals, Sparrows, etc etc. The eyes become infected and the illness seems to center on the neurological systems. If you click the picture of the empty bird feeder below, you will find an article updating what specialists know to date. Basically... not much. They've found no evidence of the typical infectious diseases (West Nile, avian influenza, Newcastle etc.) or parasite infestation, but they're still investigating. We're all awaiting results from tests for chemical compounds. Pesticides. If it's pesticides, we have a huge problem, because that is harder to reverse. I am assuming the specialists are also testing bird seeds for contamination. I have put a phone call into DEEP and CT Audubon to ask about what exactly they are testing for and if bird seeds could be a problem. I got voicemails, and we all know where those voicemails go. I'll keep reading and posting about findings. In the meantime, if you use pesticides, please stop. Do you want a natural way to repel ticks? Go to the picture of baby ducks in the pond and tap it. I put up a link about some natural ways to rid oneself of those creatures. This is not just applications for your skin but also your clothes and lawn chairs. If you want to spray shrubbery, find companies that use natural substances, not pesticides. They are out there. Google them. Oh, and did you know Turkeys eat ticks? Yes, they do! Encourage turkeys to visit. I have one who visits and stays in my yard with her baby. Mom and baby don't not hang out too long because they have to constantly roam for food and protection. You stay in one place too long, a coyote is sure to find you. But, still, they're here. Oh possums eat ticks, too! They actually eat lots and lots of ticks, so be nice to them! Look, we've lost almost 29% of birds over the past four-five decades. That's horrendous. Some of it's due to development. Some of it is due to too many to people allowing cats outside. Some are lost to chemical contamination. We should not be sad about this merely because we love birds. Birds are critical to our ecosystem. Imagine how many insects birds eat. Imagine if the birds were gone. The insect population would increase tremendously. That would impact our farmlands, our homes and yards. Imagine what would happen if birds did not spread seeds across our undeveloped lands. They help spread seeds for new trees with their droppings. So, until the specialists know exactly what this songbird illness is, if your area is impacted, take up feeders. And stop pesticides!    Now for ducks. The duck family have matured. I call the mom Sally. I call the babies, babies. I will continue to update their status and write on them. I suppose I can still have relationships with my water fowl if the birds now avoid my yard. (the blue jays are furious with me.) The ducks (above) tend to walk around my yard and eat worms. To the left is a picture of them eating and lying around my backyard-- under my cherry tree. They look like adult ducks, but talk like babies. Quiet chirps. They don't appear to have flight feathers yet, but many are trying out their wings, flapping them into shape. So, I'm convinced they'll fly soon. They roam my yard and eat worms. They bask in the sun. They get lost around my fence and require guidance. They emulate their mom, Sally, with their territorial vigor. Basically, all babies chase other ducks away. Drakes are particularly not welcome. They watched their mother chase away other ducks and then did it themselves. Back when they were small, it was fun to watch the babies chase the men away. I have a video of that actually. I will post it below. First, a picture of cute babies taken a few weeks back. This mom, I call her Sally, brought the babies to my yard. I fed them corn soaked in water. This picture was taken a few weeks back, when they were wee babies.  Below, the babies again, older. They grow fast. In only two weeks they went from wee wee cute things to small cute things. They are feisty, though. The mother charges any male duck who approaches. I've seen her jump up and peck at a male Turkey who backed away--peaceful and confused. Eventually the babies imitated the mother and started charging other creatures in the yard, even drakes. Spunky things.  The video below needs an explanation. So, I walk into the kitchen and look out the window at this scene. To the left is a small geese family. It looks like parents, one baby and maybe an aunt or some relative who is helping the parents. I have no idea why there is only one baby. I assume a tragic attack by coyotes or something. In front, beyond the open gate, is the duck mommy and her babies, all sitting in the grass by the pond. Beyond the duck family is the swan mommy and her babies. In front of the mom and signets is the swan daddy, contemplating whether or not he will climb up and walk into my yard. Go after the geese. To the right is another large geese family. Six goslings and two parents. All these babies and parents are sitting in the grass staring out at the swans. The ducks eventually want to get the hell away from the swans, so you will see them walk inside and march into my yard, moving to the right, away from what appears to be a potential battle. Whatever is going on, one thing is clear--this is an us versus them event. Us being native waterfowl. Them being invasive swan family. I assume the swan family entered the pond, the dad slowly swimming behind them. I suspect the dad noticed the geese families and became aggressive. He would try to kill the babies, although he'd have a difficult time with all those adult geese protecting them. Still he is a force of nature. So, they all came through the open fence door and made themselves home here in my yard, daring the swans to enter. The dad swan seemed to consider coming in and starting trouble but he did notice me looking at him. He stopped. The swans eventually left. And I had a lot of poop to clean up. Usually I try to gently encourage the geese to move back into the pond, even though the babies are cute and the geese are interesting. They poop nonstop. Eat grass, poop it out. That's about all they do. I let them stay a while to escape the monster family. It made for a great video too. |
AuthorI like to write about people, animals, dogs. I enjoy ideas, good books about ideas, funny books about ideas, funny people who have ideas, advocates for people who don't have voices to express their ideas, and animals who have ideas we can't understand. Archives
November 2021
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