When I look at this photo, my heart melts. I see an absolutely beautiful Momma with a whole brood of little ones. I counted at least eleven. She is all alone and trying to take care of herself and protect and nurture her little ones.  This photo also makes me a little sad (Ok, maybe more than a little). You remember the turf wars between rival Goose Gangs, right. Well, just as in any other battle, there are winners and losers.  I assumed the winners were the Mamma & Pappa Geese that claimed the nesting rights to the pond as they were the only visible nesting pair. Here's the however:  I was fairly certain the baby Goslings were around somewhere and I've been carousing and lurking around the pond looking for them, unobtrusively, of course.  I did find a whole bunch of little yellow tennis ball babies swimming for their life with a giant Goose snapping at their tails.  I couldn't believe my eyes. I was staring in disbelief while this monolithic monster terrorized these adorable little creatures. I was confused to say the very least. I had never seen Geese exhibit this kind of behavior. Finally, I realized that the babies were Ducklings, not Goslings when I saw the Mamma Duck trying to rescue her babies.  I really thought my heart would break, so I had to put a stop to it right then and there. Julie to the rescue.  I picked up a stick and readied myself for battle. Actually, I had no intention of using it, but I thought it might give the Big Bad Goose pause when he saw it. And, it worked!  There was a lot of hissing and posturing going on, but the Momma Duck and her little Ducklings got away. And the two warriors remained unscathed and lived to fight another day.  It didn't take long before I realized what all the fuss was about.  Just a few feet away from me was Mamma Goose and her not so little eggs and a few of her very little Goslings.

Hugs,   Julie