African Geese Come to Frogpond

Even as we're trying to downsize on the Frogpond waterfowl population, more show up.  Our school bus driver/custodian, Joe,  keeps many kinds of birds. Way back last spring we gave him four of our Muscovy drakes and he offered us two African geese.  On Friday, Joe brought them to school (the 4th graders got to meet them), Bruce drove down in the jeep and picked them up, and now they are finally here. 

Aren't they beautiful?  They're about two years old and are a bonded pair.  Until they've settled down here, they'll be living in the dog kennel by the barn.  Their former home was a smallish yard in town, so they have no experience fending for themselves.  I'm already worried about how they will do when they're completely out with the others.  It's a very steep survival learning curve out here, and if they make a mistake they're done for.

So far, they're not too sure about this place.  They can see down to the pond from the kennel and are very interested by all the activity down there in a nervous sort of way...

...and others are interested in them in what seemed like a decidedly amorous sort of way. 











 

 

These three pretty little Muscovy hens were fascinated by our exotic

newcomers.  They formed a circle and, bobbing their heads and swaying seductively, gave many sidelong glances to the geese.  They reminded me of Botticelli's Three Graces (I'm thinking that this is probably the first time they have ever been compared to ducks.  I'm OK with that).





When Big Love, our entire duck population's father/brother/husband, came over to check things out, the prettiest of the hens followed along behind. 

She tried to get past him, but he turned into her and made her back up and return to the others.



 

She, being a very young Grace, did what she was told (but didn't like it). 






In the end, though, she and her sisters (and a few brothers) managed to foil Big Love.  Here they were this morning, perched up in the pine tree that overlooks both the pond...



 


...and the kennel.

Never underestimate a determined female!


Post Script:  The geese appear to be completely unimpressed by the entire lot of them.  Just as well.