Tuesday, May 29, 2012

What Became of the Nesting Goose?

My April pursuit of a nesting goose led me here:

The goose and her gander resided over this pond for a few weeks,
undisturbed by visiting egrets and curious on-lookers.
I returned a couple of weeks ago, and the nesting pair was gone.
I looked around the neighborhood and visited the ponds and lakes
where geese and their fuzzy yellow goslings have strolled in other springs.
But there were no young geese at any of the usual places.
No yellow-fuzzed babies, no juveniles.
I was puzzled by their absence
because every year we have had many hatchlings.

And I knew it was time for them to be here.
On a median in downtown Norfolk, I had spotted
 geese and four goslings when "my" goose was still on the nest.
The cars and trucks and buses had roared past,
but the feathered family huddled together and bided their time
before crossing to the Scope convention center.
I suspect some green grass and sunshine beckoned.

And a week later in a shady office park in Chesapeake,
a larger brood including several juvenile geese sporting newly brown feathers
sauntered across the street.

Then last week, I saw two young geese at the lake near my house.
They were a little awkward, a little unsure,
a fleeting yellow fuzz still on their backs.
They stayed close to the adult geese with them.
Did those young ones belong to our nesting goose?
Really, there's no way to know.
But I like to think that yes, yes they were. 
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