Cute baby geese!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

Every year for the last seven years or so that I know of, a pair of Canada geese (probably the same pair) has been nesting at the same spot on a ledge on the building I work in. The female sits on the eggs for about a month, then they hatch in late April, and the parents coax them down off the ledge and lead them to the pond behind the parking lot. This year's eggs, six of them, hatched on Tuesday, so we knew the chicks would probably jump off the ledge and head for the pond today. For the last few years one of my co-workers has been putting a bale of hay under the spot where they jump off so they won't hurt themselves (it's about a 20' fall). A couple of others brought cameras, so we were ready.

Sure enough, two of the goslings hopped off the ledge this morning without much urging. Around noon, two more jumped down. But the last two wouldn't budge, even though the parent geese and the other four were down on the grass calling to them. Finally the parents and the other goslings gave up and went down to the pond, leaving the last two to just flap around and peep and look over the ledge, but they wouldn't jump.

So the same guy who brought the hay and the building manager/custodian got a ladder, and the custodian, wearing rubber gloves, climbed up to the ledge with a cardboard box and caught the goslings, put them in the box and carried them down to the pond. As soon as he put them into the pond the parent geese swam over to them as fast as they could, and the family was reunited.

Needless to say, nobody got much work done today, but this spectacle occurs every year. At one point there must have been 25 people lined up along the window, yelling for the goslings to jump, dammit!

Baby geese are extremely cute. Here's a picture of one of them going off the ledge. They can't fly, so they just... jump.

[ThomCat]

1. Awww. That's very cute.

:)

You got a wonderful picture.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. Thanks, but I can't take credit for it.

One of my co-workers actually took the picture, though I saw the event.

[TZ]

2. Wow!

No wonder it takes them time to leave the nest! That's quite a sight!

[Blue Diadem]

3. Ohhh, that's so cute. Brave little ones.

Great picture too. I never knew geese would nest that high up.

[vard28]

4. Our momma and daddy geese

at the fishing pond just hatched 5 new ones yesterday! It's been rainin' for days, so I haven't been over to get photos. I have loads from last year's tots!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

12. Let's see your photos!

I love baby geese. Just wanna cuddle 'em.

[vard28]

15. Here ya go! Our goslings from last year

This last little guy was trouble... LOL! Dad would always have to stay behind and round him up. He liked to explore!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

16. Squeeee! They're so cute.

Only kittens are cuter than baby geese.

[grace0418]

5. I love the little one on the edge waiting for his turn.

So cute!

[justabob]

6. too cute!

and I love the little slot they have for a launch pad. It is perfect for the little guys. :)

[Bucky]

7. Putting on my tinfoil hat here...

But look again: you can see his assailant still by the ledge. The poor gosling was pushed... by his own brother!

[WildEyedLiberal]

8. Ack! So cute!

Nothing is cuter than baby geese, seriously. One time in my college town I had to stop my car in the middle of the street for a couple of minutes because a goose mom and babies were waddling single-file across the road.

[elleng]

9. That takes GUTS!

I know where I'd have been!!!!

O8)

[jobycom]

11. Great story! You could write a children's book about that. nt

[applegrove]

13. Imagine having to take a leap like that when you are just a few weeks old.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

14. They were only two days old.

Maybe that's why they can do it.