Territorial Scraps
I watched as a pair of geese on the pond walked together toward some others on the boardwalk. When they got about ten feet away the hissing started and the chase would begin, sometimes scaring a goose and gander off sometimes resulting in an all- out fight. During these little battles there is a lot of wing flapping and honking and it gets very noisy and sometimes quite aggressive as I will show here in some poor but descriptive shots. I even got hissed at as the fighting spread out and got closer but I was a safe distance staying directly out of their business.
These two have come off the pond and are heading for the others which is causing some fuss with the raised wings and honking.
At this point other confrontations are going on between geese out of the picture frame, about four to six pair, hard to tell when you are almost in the middle of it.
One has left and rushing forward with head down and bodies are scattering.
Then it looks like the one has backed off and is hissing at another goose , or pair of geese, on the left.
I am not sure who is whom but the two by the bench are intertwining their necks and one has hold of the other’s shoulder.
Of the two who were seriously engaged in aggressive behaviour, one is flying out of reach and the females are hissing at each other, or at least I think it is the females..
Now, are these two fighting, or are they mating?
The Chase…
The two must be stressed and feeling tense as they walk away hissing at other geese.
Now it is my turn to get hissed at. I did take a step back.
Still weary but settling down as they sculk away..
If you have any comments on their behaviour, please do so. I find their behaviour fascinating.I wonder if they will try this again because there are woods just off the path and may be a good spot to nest – but this time , the others weren’t having any of it. Next post i am going back in time to just before the entry from the pond when this couple were displaying what I believe is a courtship ritual.
My Heartsong 
Godfrey and Seli had a terrible fight the other day – now I realize they were probably fighting over one of the females!
April 3, 2013 at 7:18 pm
Ah-h-h yes. Godfrey was featured recently in one of your posts. Still bossing the gang around and now with the females-oh boy…
April 4, 2013 at 8:49 am
Great action and behavior photos, Jane, the gravel/dirt adds nice color to the shots. When I’ve watched a group of geese bickering, I’ve noticed there is usually one specific goose that is the main aggressor and just cannot stop picking on the others. Always wondered if he/she was the head goose or oldest amongst the rest and so had ‘status’ of being in charge. And boy it sure does look like the two were mating in the background. I’ll see in your next post for sure!
So behind with you because of my hiatus, but I’ll going to catch up for sure. I always enjoy each of your posts & photos and seeing a little bit of Canada through your lens!
May 21, 2013 at 6:39 am
Thank you so much. i appreciate your comments and it is good to see you back. i think i do notice even with couples of geese there seems to be a male , with the thicker neck, hanging around, keeping an eye on things.
May 22, 2013 at 5:06 pm