The Canadians Are Coming~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, Wild Life

I have heard quite a few Americans talking about moving to Canada, (including yours truly on occasion).  But I never hear Canadians talking about emigrating to the USA.  So I was very surprised when these guys showed up in force on Holler lakes. They haven’t been here before.

I also rarely see Canadians squabble amongst each other, but these guys certainly do! We were hanging out with a congenial group of happy gooseys, when all of a sudden, an invading nautical army launched themselves across the lake, to drive the peaceful gooseys away!

Come to think of it, they do kinda remind me, just a bit, of Canadian hockey players……

Anyhoo, the hockey player geese certainly did not hesitate to ram their way ashore and displace the more peaceful gooseys. 

There was lots of hissing and honking, shoving, and general mayhem, just like a hockey game!


The peaceful gooseys were so upset by this hostile behavior, they just packed up their picnics, and swam away. I knew just how they felt. I tend to respond, to even a hint of conflict, in the exact same way.


The smartest goose of all, stayed away from everyone, hung out by himself, and took a nap on the hiking trail.


He made friends with my son, smart goose.


I suspect the fires up north confused these gooseys and they decided to fly further south and check out the real estate. Apparently, they liked what they saw, cuz’ there are a whole bunch of them here! I hope they decide to stay all winter, and come back every year, because I love Canadians! 

Cheers to you from The Holler’s new Canadians~

Discover more from Cindy Knoke

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

253 thoughts on “The Canadians Are Coming~”

  5. Dahmane Thami

    Hello
    Cindy,it has been a long time since I visited your site to leave a short message.
    Birds don’t have Passport and we don’t have the technology to build walls in the air to stop them .
    They are free to come and go .
    Thanks for the excellent job you are doing,I always enjoy your pictures.
    Happy Holidays 🎊🎉🍾👍

    Reply

    1. So happy you stopped by and said hello! You make such excellent and very true points. And lucky birds, unlike us, can fly away at the first hint of trouble <3 🕊️

      Reply

  8. Those last two certainly look quite happy! It’s very amusing to me to see the different personalities in those geese, some happy, some mad, some silly. Thanks for sharing!!

    Reply

    1. Actually we have tons of snow geese in winter. Gorgeous critters. I love it when the flock hits the sky. They block the sun. And the sound, just so overwhelming, it makes everything in me smile. I do think the Canadian Geese should go home because I can’t protect them here. I can’t protect anyone here.

      Reply

  13. If they’re anything like the ones that came to North Carolina when we lived there they’ll just set up housekeeping. Ours made nests, laid eggs, and raised their young near water. 🙂 — Suzanne

    Reply

  15. I suspect you are right about their avoiding the fire and smoke. We have seen few of them here so far this year. They may have just flown right over. Who knows? They may take a permanent liking to your warm resort (and lack of hunters!).

    Reply

  18. Bloody things. Unlike most Canadians I’ve met these fellas are bullies and dominate local species. We’ve had Canadian geese in our London park’s for years and boy I wish they’d go home. Still we have to make good, don’t we and we can’t stop birds going where the food is. At least they’re not as bad as the parakeets who are now taking over….

    Reply

    1. Oh my, you have no idea how much I wish I had parakeets wild at The Holler. I bred and raised them as a kid. I know that invasive species can cause serious problems in habitats though so I sympathize with your predicament.

      Reply

      1. Yes it’s that balance isn’t it? We have a flock of about twenty that sit in a birch at the end of the garden and last year we have four eating one sunflower at the same time. Talk about shredded! They are stunning in flight and the colours startling against the muted tones of our indigenous birds. So I wouldn’t be without them in truth, just wish, like a two year old, they’d learn to share!!

        Reply

  25. Beautiful photographs Cindy! We often have Canadian geese stop over in the Scottish Highlands during the Winter as well as pink footed geese – they seem to get along peacefully 🙂💖

    Reply

  28. How fascinating that you haven’t seen the Canadians at the Holler Lakes before. We have lots of Canada Geese here in Christchurch, permanently. I guess they like it. 🙂 Glad you have such good company in the Holler.

    Reply

  34. Excellent photos! Our Canadians came years ago, then stayed year round. Some corporate headquarters even had to hire plastic swans to keep them away from their ponds. It worked, sometimes.

    Reply

  36. hahah Every year they complain about the cold so we kick them out! But like any good Canadian we let them come home again. We are happy to share them with you for a little while. Who wouldn’t want to visit The Holler?

    Reply

  39. Cindy, be careful what you wish for. 🙂 These guys are good when there are not so many of them. Otherwise they are disaster. Sometimes they behave really aggressively if you trespass their area.

    Reply

  44. We have a lot of geese that over winter here. I don’t know how they do it. The one problem is they tend to poop all over the place so you have to watch your step, Cindy.
    Leslie 😉

    Reply

  50. Wonderful photos! I also love Canadians. Years ago when my kiddos were small, we visited Rochester, Minnesota, south of where we lived in Minneapolis. On the outskirts of Rochester we stopped at a small lake adjacent to the town’s electric power plant. And there we saw hundreds, maybe thousands, of Canadian geese. They were an amazing sight! Many came up on the shore looking for handouts from human admirers. My son and daughter were enthralled. Most amazing, we learned that the geese stayed there all winter because the power plant kept the lake relatively warm, how I’m not sure. I wonder if the geese still winter there.

    Reply

    1. Lots of aquatic birds do this. Trumpeter Swans stay all winter in thermally heated segments of The Yellowstone River, and some Icelandic swans stay in thermally heated lakes year round. Birds are smart. It must have been thrilling to see thousands of them!

      Reply

Leave a Reply to cindy knokeCancel reply