Monthly Archives: May 2019

Davidson

Goose nest reaches new heights

The Canada geese have returned to nest at Riskan Hope Farm north of Aylesbury. A goose sits on her nest that she’s built on top of a hay bale that is on the roof of a shed. This is the second straight year the goose and her gander have been nesting in this spot.

AYLESBURY—Canada geese are known to build their nests on somewhat elevated ground, but a goose has taken her nest to new heights at the Riskan Hope Farm north of Aylesbury.

For the second straight spring a goose and her gander have been nesting on top of a large round hay bale that is on top of a shed beside the iconic red barn on Highway 11.

The goose was incubating her eggs last Thursday.

Farm owner Dave Luther said the goose and her gander arrived about ten days ago.

It’s an unusual spot for the nest.

Luther said they put the bale of hay on top of the shed to hold plastic sheeting on its roof until they could get around to tinning the shed.

Luther said last year, after the eggs hatched, he could see the little goslings in the nest and he wondered how the goose was going to get them down. He wanted to watch the process. He left the farm for about an hour to go eat dinner and when he returned, the goose and the goslings were gone.

“She knew how she was going to get them down,” he said, suspecting she was waiting for him to leave so she could do it in private.

He missed his chance last year, but he may get another chance to observe the procedure this time around.

The female Canada goose chooses an elevated spot to build her nest so she may have an unobstructed view of predators.

Luther said he hoped it was a sign that the dry spell is coming to an end. “Maybe floods are coming,” he said.