That Canada geese usually start choosing mates and selecting a territory for nesting in late February to early March? The females start laying eggs anytime from mid-March to mid-May. Incubation by the female begins as soon as all her eggs are laid. The gander’s job during nesting season is to defend the female, their nesting territory, and eggs. If a person or another goose enters the territory, the gander will usually give a warning call to the intruder before chasing it away. Some geese can be highly aggressive and will only stop their attack when the intruder has left or the goose’s life is threatened.
Fortunately, these geese that I stumbled upon at Cambridge Beach were not mating or aggressive and decided to fly away. Keep this in mind as we reach the end of February going into March, and steer clear of geese that may be mating. I have been attacked by terns who were nesting on the abandoned piers next to the artist building in East Boston while trying to unlock the front door, and by gulls on an island when I unwittingly explored too close to their rookery. It can be painful and scary to have a bird intent on driving you away, and they will draw blood if you don’t move quick enough for their liking – a challenge if you’ve gotten yourself way out on the rocks before you realize you’re in the wrong place. That’s why Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds was such a great horror film – it was not far fetched.
E.J. Lefavour
www.khanstudiointernational.com
Good Morning Gloucester 
Lmao! I’ll have to choose my next mate soon. My Wife will have to prove herself for me to pick her for another mating season. lol! I think she’s had enough of me these past seasons tho 🙂
Another great post Ej!
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You better be careful your wife doesn’t see that. In nature, its the goose that chooses the gander, not the other way around, and he has to prove himself to her. I’m sure you’re a good gander though, and she would choose you again.
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I gander you’d think again! lol!
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Jeese, Ellen, Thanks for the “Heads Up” regarding Canadian Geese mating season. I wouldn’t have given it a thought, (getting close) as I’m so used to being around gulls, etc., with no mishap.
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I’ve never had a fear of birds, or most any wildlife, and have raised many, but I have learned to give them a wide berth when they are nesting or have young, as they can all be very aggressive in defending them. I had the sweetest cockatiel once who turned into a beast when she had eggs. I’ve never personally had a run in with wild geese, but did when I was a kid with a flock of domestic geese, which are known for being great watchdogs and will defend their territory as aggressively as a dog.
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I had a cockatiel, also. The store insisted she was a “He,” because the females don’t talk, and everyone wants a talker. Imagine my surprise, several months later, when “Tweetie Bird” laid an egg! By then we loved her for herself. Her cage faced the driveway, and when someone came up the hill, she’d give a “tweet,” putting us on notice that company had arrived. If it were family, especially my husband, she’d shriek and move back and forth on her perch, excitedly, so happy to see him.
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