Silly Goose
Weed Lake, the wetland preserve by Langdon, Alberta is a common birdwatching location. The access is off a major country highway, there is room for one car to park by the side of the road, and a constructed peninsula leads to a circular viewing area about 25 meters in diameter.
On April 28, 2013 I stopped off to look for new arrivals and to my surprise, a goose was nesting to the right of the 6 meter wide pathway. The mother hissed and relocated to the water. The male arrived to offer moral support. I carried on to the viewing area and ten minutes later walked back, this time as far away from the nest as possible. The mother relocated again and I took a photo.
Why would this goose choose this site? Weed Lake has foot traffic multiple times every day at this site. Silly Goose.
I returned to the site on May 4th and the goose was still nesting.
References
The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Alberta. Federation of Alberta Naturalists. 2007.
Baicich PJ, Harrison CJO. Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds. Princeton UP. 2005.
Fisher C, Acorn J. Birds of Alberta. Lone Pine Publishing. Edmonton. 1998.
Sibley David A. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior. Alfred A Knopf, Inc. New York. 2001.
Tudge Colin. The Bird. Crown Publishers. New York. 2008.
Weed Lake, the wetland preserve by Langdon, Alberta is a common birdwatching location. The access is off a major country highway, there is room for one car to park by the side of the road, and a constructed peninsula leads to a circular viewing area about 25 meters in diameter.
On April 28, 2013 I stopped off to look for new arrivals and to my surprise, a goose was nesting to the right of the 6 meter wide pathway. The mother hissed and relocated to the water. The male arrived to offer moral support. I carried on to the viewing area and ten minutes later walked back, this time as far away from the nest as possible. The mother relocated again and I took a photo.
I returned to the site on May 4th and the goose was still nesting.
References
The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Alberta. Federation of Alberta Naturalists. 2007.
Baicich PJ, Harrison CJO. Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds. Princeton UP. 2005.
Fisher C, Acorn J. Birds of Alberta. Lone Pine Publishing. Edmonton. 1998.
Sibley David A. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior. Alfred A Knopf, Inc. New York. 2001.
Tudge Colin. The Bird. Crown Publishers. New York. 2008.
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