On Sunday morning — the first day of summer — I returned to Columbus Park to monitor breeding birds. I also visited the families of Canada Geese and Wood Ducks we’ve been following since May.
The seven-week-old Canada Geese had adult-like feathers on their bodies. From a distance, they looked like smaller versions of their parents:
The Canada Goose family was more mobile and more nervous than before -- they headed for the lagoon as I approached.
They still looked like miniature adults when I zoomed a bit closer:
The new-grown body feathers made this gosling look like a miniature adult.
But when a gosling flapped its wings, it was clear it still had a way to go before becoming an adult:
The seven-week-old Canada Goose had not grown full-length flight feathers.
Here are four previous posts about this Canada Goose family:
I also found the family of one-month-old Wood Ducks on a tree-lined shore of the lagoon. As usual, the mother Wood Duck eyed me nervously and led her brood to cover. I couldn’t get a clear photo of the entire family. I counted nine ducklings instead of the usual eleven, but the last two may have been hiding in the leaves:
The month-old Wood Ducks were almost as big as their mom, but their feathers still looked babyish.
Here are two previous posts about this Wood Duck family:
We’ll keep watching both families as they grow, and we’ll post more photos on this blog.
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To learn more about how Wood Ducks raise their young, you can check these websites:
- All About Birds – Basic information about Wood Duck natural history, including nesting.
- YouTube – First of a series of videos of Wood Ducks hatching and leaving the nest.
- Wikipedia – Encyclopedia-style information about Wood Ducks.
- Daily Herald – Story about how Wood Ducks are becoming more common in urban areas.
To learn more about Canada Goose families, you can check these websites:
- All About Birds – Basic information about Canada Goose natural history, including nesting.
- Wikipedia – Encyclopedia-style information about Canada Geese.
