Goslings and Ducklings

When I went to Charleston, South Carolina at the end of April, the goslings and ducklings seemed to be everywhere. The ones I could observe easily were using the waterway through the resort as their base. The Canadian geese were quite plentiful and there were multiple broods - each with two attendants. The goslings were kept together and loud honking from the adults could be heard if anything got too close.

The Mallard ducks were not as good parents. When we first saw the brood, there were 5 ducklings. The next time there were only 4…and then right before we left there were only 3 ducklings. The adults seemed not as attentive to the young. The mother actually flew up onto a retaining wall and left her ducklings milling around in the water trying to figure out how to follow her. And there were turtles in the water. We didn’t see the demise of either of the missing ducklings but the turtles are likely suspects.

Now I wish I would have had my new camera in South Carolina. The picture below of a gosling in Maryland was taken last week with the new camera.