Camera Critters: Goslings

One of the sure signs of spring, here in Minnesota, is when you go out birding and find Canada geese surrounded by small yellow fluff balls.
Early May is typically the time that Canada geese eggs hatch. Canada geese are very common year round in this area, so much so that they sometimes are thought of as a nuisance, and as such they are not often the subject of too many photographers, but when they are accompanied by young goslings then things are much different.

Canada geese are ground nesters. They make a bowl shaped nest out of vegetation, typically in an elevated location near to water. The female, who does most of the nest construction will line the nest with her own down feathers. When the nest is complete she will begin to lay her clutch of eggs.

It can take several days to over a week for the female to lay all of her eggs. Each egg takes about a day to lay and clutch sizes can run from 2 to 12 eggs, with 3 to 6 being the most common. The female will then incubate her eggs for around 25 to 30 days while the male keeps guard over the nest and the female. When they are ready to hatch the young goslings use their egg tooth to crack through their shell, it typically takes a day or 2 for them to break the shell and emerge. They are born with their eyes open and able to stand. They will stay around the nest for a day or two and then they are able to go out with the adults and swim, dive and find their own food.