August 8, 2023
Goose Island News
Goose Island News—Winging It!
For much of July, our Goose family has been taking wing and flying off to other parts of Loudoun County, Virginia for days at a time. Until early August they’d been gone for a week. Now they are back for a while.
At first they seemed skittish after their recent return, as if something had happened to them during their sojourn that made the hesitant to be close to me (a human). Slowly they inched closer and after a day or so, the brave ones we’re eating out of my hand again and all were closing-in to feed around my feet.
This was a late June gathering at the stone feeding spot before they started their "long-cross country" flights.
Last week of July visit, and they were still here this morning (5 August).
The 2022 brood stuck around until FEB 2023 and may still be among the 20 or so that also come and go, but seem comfortable here. In fact, we may have offspring from the last 2-4 years. (Wish I could tag them.) It appears that each year, the “current brood” has first dibs on the food I’ve been providing for the past three years.
Besides our Geese, other creatures are all about.
The hummingbirds like the feeder on our porch. This little guy kept flying up and hovering while we stared at each other.
Fun to try to photograph the little whizzers.
We also have (at least) two muskrats, Sammy and Susie, who have dug a tunnel-nest on the island. At first, the entrance was underwater, but with the pond level going down in a drought period, it’s now above water!
The Muskies come up on shore to nibble on leaves, but they also dive down to fetch underwater grasses as well.
This morning, a couple of deer hiked through the cluster of geese.
Our 14 year old Chigi (75% Chihuahua/ 25%corgi) Katydid has been feeling a bit under the weather lately. She’s just resting here, but she’s been in some pain off-and-on. (Taking her to Vet on Monday). She really became a farm dog once we moved to the country. She knows her territory and doesn’t need a fence like when we lived in the city (Arlington). We can just open the door and let her go outside to take care of business and came back in on her own. In Arlington, she was a little escape artist who would be halfway down Washington Blvd to Westover if she got outside the fence.
— Be well. Be safe
Chip
