Animals I love

Canada Goose Facts
• Life expectancy about 20 years• Weight: 20-25 pounds• Migration is a learned process• Migratory geese flight range 2 – 3 thousand miles• Resident geese flight range: 100 –200 miles to find food, water, and safety.• Resident geese can fly long distances as their migratory cousins, but generally have learned that it is not necessary.• Migratory geese do not become resident geese unless they are injured.• Mating season: February to March• Geese mate for life and will stay together during all seasons.• Geese will find a new mate if mate dies or is killed.• Migratory geese nest in Canada.• Geese nesting in the U.S. are "resident" geese who were born here.• Resident geese were imported to the area for rebuilding dwindling numbers for conservation or hunting. The urban nuisance was not anticipated.• Nesting Season: Mid March to mid May• Age of geese when they begin to nest: 3 years• Geese return to the general area of their birth each year to mate and nest. Sometimes the exact site, sometimes a nearby pond or other body of water.• The instinct to return to their general area or birth is very strong.• Migratory geese fly 2,000–3,000 miles to return to these sites.• Resident geese do not know how to migrate.• When geese are chased from their traditional nesting area or the nesting area has too many nesting pairs, they find alternative sites to nest … sometimes farther from water, sometimes in nearby ponds, sometimes on rooftops or balconies. They will hide their nests.• Geese prefer isolated sites near water to nest. Islands are their favorite location.• Nests are usually on the ground, in the open.• Sometimes geese nest in brushy or swampy areas not subject to flooding.• When egg laying begins the "Father" goose will stand sentinel watch nearby, but not so close as to give away location of nest to a predator. When a solitary goose is seen during nesting season a nest is somewhere in the vicinity.• The eggs in a nest are called a "clutch"• Average number of eggs in a nest: 5• Mother goose lays 1 egg approximately 1_ days apart until full clutch is obtained.• Eggs not being incubated are cool to the touch.• Mother goose waits until all eggs are laid before she begins to sit on nest to incubate eggs• Incubation time: 28 – 30 days• Undeveloped eggs (still fluid) will sink or float vertically with the wider portion of the egg pointing down.• Developed eggs will float horizontally or at a slight angle and break the surface of the water. At that point they are one to two weeks away from hatching.• All geese eggs in a single clutch hatch on approximately the same day• Baby geese are called "goslings".• Natural predators of geese are foxes, raccoons, owls and snapping turtles• Goslings can fly approximately 2-3 months after hatching.• During June adult geese lose wing feathers and are unable to fly. This is called molting.• Molting season runs from early June to late July.• Geese can fly again approximately 6 weeks after molting.• Generally by early August all geese (except injured geese) are able to fly.• During the molt geese need to be near water (any water) for easy escape from predators. The molting area needs an easily accessible food supply.