Mulling things on my morning ramble
with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.
A flash of white and brown disappeared around the corner of the town pond. My eyes are less than they once were, so I assumed it was a rabbit or maybe an evil feral cat.
Then they floated past. A Canada goose pair looked to have about three or four goslings protectively hidden between them.
I knew things would be early. This is more than a week early from last year. I first spotted goslings last year on April 28 on the town pond.
A week or so early seems about right for goslings. Our youngest son spotted our family's first goslings on Sunday on a pond we passed on the way home from church.
Last week, Kankakee birder Jed Hertz reported his first goslings on IBET, the Illinois birders list. Hertz, a meticulous record keeper, said they were his earliest goslings by nine days.
That seems about right for our historically early spring.
Now if only I could be as fortunate with finding morel mushrooms and wild asparagus early, too.
Neither of my two prime morel spots have produced anything. And I have checked several of my asparagus spots without success.
That will change. Spring comes on.
Did you get to read my latest one about being attacked by a goose?
I've been chased before by nesting geese which is no big deal, but this was easily the most aggressive.
It's called Fun with Wildlife. Odd sense of what fun is.
Yes, on both counts