Flaps Up for Father’s Day

Most of the goslings, at Eckman Lake\AlseaBay, look all grown up!

Almost Grown

Well, they’ve got all their adult feathers in anyway.  If the adults weren’t there, to compare their size to, I wouldn’t know the difference. (kinda like teenaged humans)

There is a younger family on the edge of the grass.  These goslings are solid grey.  There’s one adult and 3 or 4 young’uns.

Peek-a-boo

Mom and Dad Canada Geese raise their young together.  Parents seem to live in a community too.  Before the kids can fly, the parents take them out to eat when it is safe.  Then they hide them in the tall grass to rest.  I think the taller one is the male.  Read more here: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_Goose/lifehistory

Daddy Goose Shows the Way

They are still too young to fly but they need to start exercising those wings so Dad shows them how.

There’s that domestic goose still hanging around.  I wonder if these Canada Geese will stick around or if we’ll see a lonely, forlorn, goose one day?

Exercise those wings

The young ones take turns stretching and flapping their wings.  They probably don’t even know why yet.

I don’t see the collared goose so I’m not sure when these hatched.  But I’m guessing it takes a gosling about 3 weeks to go from all grey to full colors?

They grow up SO fast!

 

Butt-Butt-Butt what about the berries?

Thimbleberries

I’ve only enjoyed a few salmonberries and now the thimbleberries are coming on.  I don’t know if these berries are any good for jams or jellies but their seeds are a lot smaller than salmon or black berries.  They are almost like a strawberry seed.  The berry is not slick like the other berries.  It’s more like the skin of a peach.  They are really tasty though.  The thimbleberries are growing lower on my road so maybe I’ll stand a chance…unless elk eat them

Moo?

Ranchers lose a lot to elk.  He’s constantly repairing his fence.

I looked back at my photos from last year to see when I caught an elk calf and it wasn’t until mid-July.   :-(

Bull Roosevelt Elk

I’ll call him Kink – cuz he has a kink in one of his antlers.  He’s pretty handsome, eh?

Do trophy hunters look for perfect symmetry or do they like a little uniqueness?  I think uniqueness is more attractive.

BUT – they always look like they’re showing off their butts. hahaha

Huh?

Now, what could be tasty in a pile of cow manure?

Oh!  Do you see what I see?

Hi Alllie!

Yup!  There’s A-3!  She’s the only tagged elk I see here in the Alsea River/Tidewater herd.

I look for her every time I see the elk.