Hello everyone,
I am not a birdwatcher, I actually joined specifically to ask about some strange and beautiful behavior of Canadian Geese that I observed.
I witnessed this almost a year ago, but the memory is fresh:
I went to one of the lakes near my university(Clemson, SC) to watch the sun rise. It was a cold winter morning. After parking, I rode my bike to the edge of the lake near a boat landing. This was right before sunrise, and the water was completely still(glassy). When I arrived, I noticed a lone Canadian Goose swim out from the bank to to the center of the small lake.
Once it had reached the center of the lake, the goose started swimming in circles while "twitching" its wings. This created a beautiful mandala-like pattern of ripples in the glassy water. After the presentation was finished, the goose let out 3 or 4 loud honks, then swam back to the bank. Within 10 minutes, I observed the goose leading a flock of 10-15 geese in the V formation, flying away.
This experience has been in the back of my mind since then. Has this behavior been documented? Do other species of waterfowl exhibit this behavior?
I used to think of Canadian Geese almost as pests, but now I have a immense respect for the species....
I am not a birdwatcher, I actually joined specifically to ask about some strange and beautiful behavior of Canadian Geese that I observed.
I witnessed this almost a year ago, but the memory is fresh:
I went to one of the lakes near my university(Clemson, SC) to watch the sun rise. It was a cold winter morning. After parking, I rode my bike to the edge of the lake near a boat landing. This was right before sunrise, and the water was completely still(glassy). When I arrived, I noticed a lone Canadian Goose swim out from the bank to to the center of the small lake.
Once it had reached the center of the lake, the goose started swimming in circles while "twitching" its wings. This created a beautiful mandala-like pattern of ripples in the glassy water. After the presentation was finished, the goose let out 3 or 4 loud honks, then swam back to the bank. Within 10 minutes, I observed the goose leading a flock of 10-15 geese in the V formation, flying away.
This experience has been in the back of my mind since then. Has this behavior been documented? Do other species of waterfowl exhibit this behavior?
I used to think of Canadian Geese almost as pests, but now I have a immense respect for the species....
