Every spring, for the last 3 years, this mother duck lays her eggs under some bushes in the courtyard of our school. And every spring, this male Canada Goose appoints himself father and guardian of this mother and eggs. For the several weeks while she is resting, he can be seen patroling the grounds. He stands on the roof, squawking, in the morning. He stalks the grounds, chasing any who get too near to him. Then, when the eggs hatch, he disappears into the courtyard and stays with the mother and "his" new ducklings.
Last Friday, 9 ducklings hatched. All this week, we've enjoyed watching the little fuzzballs explore their new surroundings. Eventually, though, they have to make the journey from the courtyard, through the hallway, out the opposite door, across the lawn and into the marshland on the other side.
The spectacle is one not to be missed. It occurs after school, though the teachers are just as excited as the kids would be. We use gym mats to create a tunnel going across the short hallway from the courtyard to the back field. One of our male teachers, protected by a shield made from a cardboard box, shoos them through the tunnel. Mama trots ahead, with her 5 surviving babies toddling along behind. "Dad" brings up the rear, hissing (did you know geese hiss??), squawking and flapping at the teacher brave enough to get in his space. Once out in the field, the whole entourage moves to the marshland. The goose then leaves, and we don't see him again till next spring.
In our little corner of the world, this annual event is a sure sign of spring.
1 comment:
The courtyard outside my classroom has its first nesting mallard Mama. The babies were hatched Tuesday morning, and they've been in the courtyard since then. We brought them water. I guess we need to march them out to the marsh or small pond near my school. I'll have to talk my principals into letting us organize something like this.
Mary
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