Paultricounty
Well-known member
I visit a local salt water fed pond known as Simmonds Pond in Merrick NY. There seems to be multiple families of geese but only one pair of swans. Im told by locals that this one pair of swans have 7-8 baby’s every year (at least the last three years). I was also told that each year all the baby’s are lost to snapping turtles. From early spring this year as the baby cygnets first came out, I followed them every few days when I would go by the pond, they’re were eight this year.
They seem to get by the first month or two before they started disappearing. Many of the locals have told me that they’re doing well this year, because most years they don’t make it this far. As the weeks went by I would notice one less, then another, then another. The last couple of weeks the four that were left seemed to have possibly made it to a certain age that they were viable, but today I see only two left, one recently died and the remains indicate it happened very recently, like I the last day or two.
All though common sense would tell me this is happening to the geese goslings as well, I can’t determine that because of the large population in the pond.
Is this a common occurrence in some of these habitats or is this unique situation to this location?
I have also witnessed what appeared to be the adult swans trying to drown geese baby’s. But that’s another conversation and I don’t know why in those times the geese were attacked, that could be territorial.
Paul
They seem to get by the first month or two before they started disappearing. Many of the locals have told me that they’re doing well this year, because most years they don’t make it this far. As the weeks went by I would notice one less, then another, then another. The last couple of weeks the four that were left seemed to have possibly made it to a certain age that they were viable, but today I see only two left, one recently died and the remains indicate it happened very recently, like I the last day or two.
All though common sense would tell me this is happening to the geese goslings as well, I can’t determine that because of the large population in the pond.
Is this a common occurrence in some of these habitats or is this unique situation to this location?
I have also witnessed what appeared to be the adult swans trying to drown geese baby’s. But that’s another conversation and I don’t know why in those times the geese were attacked, that could be territorial.
Paul
