A Nest for Our Geese (click here to read the rest of the story)

Today is Saturday, February 24th, and we are making and installing a goose platform in the pond. We have a mating pair of Canadian geese that have made our pond their home in the spring. The first year they were here they warded off 22 other geese to claim this area as their own. They have had several struggles with hatching their eggs successfully. One year their nest and the female goose were attacked. We woke to the male goose in absolute anguish in his loss of his partner. Geese mate for lif and at the loss of their partner will mourn for several years. After those years they may or may not acquire another mate. However we were happily surprised to find Mama goose a little worse for wear with some missing feathers but alive and well. The next year their choice of a place to put a nest was not a very good choice and either the eggs were laid and immediately stolen or they were never successful laying eggs. So this year instead of watching them go through this again we are using some old pallets to create a nesting platform in the pond where they will have a little more protection for themselves and their nest from predators predators. By using platforms with the holes in the centers and between each platform also has a dual purpose of providing some breeding areas for fish and protection from predators for the fish that are in the pond.

The lower platform, being a little deeper into the water will be a great launching area for the goslings after the water drops a little as things start drying out. Hopefully we will see some nest building going on and eventually some eggs and eventually some goslings. We will keep you posted with more photos as they become available