Puzzled by Canada Geese

These days, whenever we walk by the river, I look for Canada Geese and their goslings - to see how they’re growing and changing.

It’s been an interesting Canada Goose year for us...

Early this spring, standing at a river lookout, Terry and I saw a mother goose sitting on her nest on a cliff above the river...

At the same time, in Guelph, my daughter watched a goose build - then sit for days on a nest - on the roof of the house next door...

Does she know what she’s doing? We all wondered. Will the goslings fall off the roof? Will they be trapped in the fenced yard below? How will they get out?

I still don’t know what happened, but one day my daughter said: This is crazy. The nest had slid precariously close to the edge of the roof... In fact it’s hanging over a bit!

The next day she said: They’re all gone - mother goose, nest and unseen goslings!

What happened? When the nest fell, did the goslings fly? Or did the parents carry them away on their wings? 

I’ve looked in vain for answers online.

Is that also what happened with the goose nest on the cliff?

I’m really puzzled.

As I watch these families of geese in Andrew Hayden Park, I assume that - like ducks - geese build nests near the water...

When the young are big enough, the parents lead them to the nearby river and ponds...

Or were these geese hatched in nests built high up on a roof... or cliff?

I have no idea... But at this stage, here, near the water, is where they live.