# Geese



## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

Whether I like it or not I have a nesting pair on the island in the pond.

The younguns hatched, I guess, yesterday and are out and about with mom and dad today. There are 7 little fuzz balls. I was showing them to my wife and as they slid back into the pond and started swimming across she asked if there are fish in the pond that would eat the babies. I said I don't think there is any thing large enough in there to eat a baby goose. LESS than a minute later a big blast on top, as we watch, one baby goose goes under for a second and then it's back up and paddling away with his brothers and sisters. My wife and I looked at each other in silence pretty amazed at what we had just witnessed.

I'm guessing a bass, but there are at least a few channel cats in there, just haven't had the pond long enough to really know what all is in there. Whatever it was it was hungry. The geese weren't anywhere near the bedding bass so I don't think it was a defensive strike.

Pretty neat to see. I've seen a baby duck eaten before but never a baby goose. This could be bad news for mama mallard, who hasn't hatched her brood as of yet.


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## Hetfieldinn (May 17, 2004)

You have your own island?


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## Hook N Book (Apr 7, 2004)

Hetfieldinn said:


> You have your own island?



You didn't know...Lundy, has it like that...!


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## Hetfieldinn (May 17, 2004)

Lundy rolls Large.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

It's a very ittle island


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## Hetfieldinn (May 17, 2004)

sure it is..........


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## Fishman (Apr 5, 2004)

hahaha Hetfeildinn!

I once say a greib dive in front of the boat I was on, then surface on the otherside, as it started to run on the water a rather large musky rolled on it. I asked my friend, the captain if he saw it, to which he responded I was full of crap. I said stop the boat, and let's see if the duck comes up. To his amazement it never did. This happened at Pleasant Hill by the way.


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## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

just think 7 plus two equals 28 geese you;ll have when those babies have babies next year , my pond has NO geese for the last ten yrs , I don;t let them stay , when we here geese on the intercom,I:M out there with the 12ga chasintg them off , the lab helps too. p/s I like your island , nice white sand beachs.lol jim


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

according the last homeowner its the same nesting pair every year. And they agressively prevented any other geese from coming near the pond this year.
and there are only 6 babies left. Not sure what happened to #7


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## Procraftboats21 (Apr 6, 2004)

give me a call about mid october... im a free exterminator


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## beatsworkin (Apr 12, 2004)

I had 2 pairs of geese on my pond last night that were really pounding each other for rights to the pond. I could hear wings pounding on wings and the splashing from 200 yards away, carried on for a good half hour before one pair gave up and left. 

I saw footage of a large flathead in a pond going up and taking full grown ducks down to the bottom for a meal.

Keep those 6 safe, young of the year goose is mighty tasty!! The pond there at Ballah (sp?) Rd and 62/3 is hard into target procurement. Saw several pairs with young as I was headed to my parents in Mt. Sterling this past weekend.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

I was down to four baby geese as of yesterday, this morning there are only 3!

I also saw the mallard out with her babies for the first time this morning. We'll see how there do.


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## beatsworkin (Apr 12, 2004)

Have you seen any snapping turtles in the pond?


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

No, I haven't seen any but was thinking the same thing.


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

my guess is its the cold nights. baby ducks and geese die easily in the cold from what I have read.


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## beatsworkin (Apr 12, 2004)

That is a good point as well and add in the other critters at night we don't usually see out like weasels, mink, etc....and not to mention the wonderful feral cat.

I walked around my pond last night and did not see any nests, which is surprising given the amount of birds that have been in and out of there the last 5 weeks or so. There is a pair coming in every evening but my guess is that they are a younger pair, not ready to mate this year or are attempting to renest. Might be staking a claim for next spring.

If you have ticks like I found crawling on my boots and jeans last night, maybe that is what is getting them, sheesh they are bad this spring.


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

bountyhunter said:


> just think 7 plus two equals 28 geese you;ll have when those babies have babies next year , my pond has NO geese for the last ten yrs , I don;t let them stay , when we here geese on the intercom,I:M out there with the 12ga chasintg them off , the lab helps too. p/s I like your island , nice white sand beachs.lol jim


Bountyhunter is right. Geese will return to mate where ever they learned to fly at.


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## Toolman (Jun 8, 2004)

4 down...3 to go. That's a good start!

Tim


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## Fishman (Apr 5, 2004)

beatsworkin said:


> I saw footage of a large flathead in a pond going up and taking full grown ducks down to the bottom for a meal.



I tried to find this, but all I came up with was this:




It's huge but I can't tell what kinda fish it is honestly.


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## ParmaBass (Apr 11, 2004)

That's gotta be a Pike! It's huge!


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

Man that fish was big!!


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## beatsworkin (Apr 12, 2004)

The footage I saw was on a nature show on PBS when I was a kid and all we had was a dial on the tube to turn, got 3 stations (maybe) and sometimes PBS!! Back then youtube was a contraction of what dad would say when we got no reception: You*(^&#37;#()_(*)Tube!!


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