[wisb] Canada Goose aggression (and some ice photos)

From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2@xxxxxxxxx>
To: wisbirdn <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:55:30 -0800 (PST)
There was a pair of Canada Geese at McKinley Beach today that were really 
revved up. About 15 geese in all, grazing on grass that had been uncovered by 
the melting snow.

These two geese (I'm assuming a mated pair?) would go after any goose that got 
within five feet of them. They would hunch down with their necks parallel to 
the ground and their bills slightly open, and would chase and hiss at whatever 
goose was nearest to them. When the target goose walked or flew away, the pair 
would stand up tall and bob their heads up and down and honk loudly, as if to 
say "We sure showed them!!". I'm assuming this has something to do with the 
upcoming breeding season?

Now the ice photos. I was up at Bradford Beach and took some photos of the ice 
ridge that's still on the Lake Michigan shoreline:

* Finally got a photo that gives a perspective on how big these ice ridges are: 
http://bit.ly/hgoS8b. The person in this photo is in a dangerous spot, though. 
The day before yesterday someone was perched on a similar ice ridge when it 
collapsed and sent him tumbling into the icy lake. He didn't survive.

* This photo is a bit fuzzy, but it shows five people putting themselves in 
jeopardy: http://bit.ly/dNRgZk. It's hard to see in this photo, but the people 
on the left actually have a small child with them. And the two guys on the 
right are standing in a particularly dangerous spot. The ice ridge to the left 
has already collapsed into the lake.

Finally, I don't get ice fishing. I like to fish, but I'm scared to be out on 
the ice! I always worry about falling through. As a kid, my dad and a priest 
friend of his tried to hook me on ice fishing on a lake in Walworth County. 
Every time the ice made some kind of noise I'd sprint the 200 feet across the 
ice to the priest's house, and then they'd try to coax me back out.

Anyway, here are some people who seem to be pushing their luck:

* A half dozen guys shooting the breeze while ice fishing at Milwaukee's 
McKinley Marina. The temperature was 47 degrees, with snow melting like crazy. 
The ice was slushy looking, with puddles of water on top of the ice. Don't 
these guys worry about falling through the ice? See: http://bit.ly/fMvVpu.

* An ice fishing shack on Veterans Park lagoon. Once again, the temperature was 
47 degrees, with snow melting like crazy. The ice was slushy looking, with 
puddles of water on top of the ice.

Bernie Sloan
Milwaukee


      
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[wisb] Canada Goose aggression (and some ice photos)

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