Banded geese return for 3rd time.

[Admin]

I have a pair of canada geese that are both banded. One is banded on the left leg and the other on the right. They just arrived and are setting up shop on the beaver lodge in my pond for the 3rd year in a row. I find it totally amazing that throughout their migration they are able to both survive and find their way back to the very same beaver lodge to nest on. For 3 years now I get to watch them raise their young right in front of my yard ;D I think it's pretty cool ;D

[mrtreedog]

Thats really cool JC ;D

[hounddog25]

thats is so cool ;D ;D ;D

[snydboshawn]

Sweet, we had a mating Pair of Mallards in a puddle (literally) in my Grandmas the past few years. Haven't seen them yet this year. They are fun to watch. I saw a pair of woodys yesterday out and about, won't be long until all the critters young are running around.

[Admin]

I really love living on a swamp. It's very entertaining to watch all the goings on out here. Aside from all the ducks & geese, we have herons hunting the shoreline, kingfishers, Ospreys & Terns diving for fish, does bring their fawns to eat the new growth on the shore, we watch muskrats swimming around and sometimes the beavers move in and I learn a ton from watching them react to my experiments with different lures and their reactions to castor mounds & stuff. We have lots of waterfowl nesting mere but what amazes me is that this is the same pair of geese returning for the 3rd year. How they head south and return to the same beaver lodge and avoid hunters on their journey, well... I find that simply amazing. Another thing is this pair are great parents. We watch several pairs that will lose goslings as the summer progresses but this pair will keep the troop intact. They start with 5 to 7 young and we'll watch the whole troop mature to fully feathered until they fly off. I don't goose hunt my waterway anymore because I don't want to accidently shoot one of this pair. We really enjoy them and it won't be long before we have yellow puffballs roaming the shoreline ;D

[samdog]

That is pretty sweet, don't get to attached though, they might start bringing guests and you might decide you wanna try geese hunting.

[flyguy]

Hey JC you have to build your self some wood duck nest boxes ans mallard nest platforms for you swamp ;D

[acewoodsman]

thats awsome jc u have to keep us posted with some pics ;D i have to say spring is my favorite time of yr everything coming to life

[rustytrap]

thats really cool ;D

[TrappinTommer]

Thats cool JC. I do a lot of goose hunting and have never got one that was banded, but I end up seeing a few through the year at different places that are banded. Thats great that they keep coming back to your pond, kinda like pets that go away for a while then come back.

[Admin]

Mar 24, 2009 6:50:15 GMT -5 TrappinTommer said:

kinda like pets that go away for a while then come back.

You are exactly right. They are sort of like pets now I like having them here and I find it fascinating that they keep coming back but because of them I no longer hunt my marsh . I have never bagged any banded waterfowl but have always wanted to. It's sort of like a bonus prize kind of like antlers or a turkey beard. But now after having them raise 3 broods here I wouldn't want to be responsible for ending this yearly ritual. So... I guess the geese on my channel are safe.

I did trap 2 coons that were tagged though and I thought that was pretty cool ;D

[woodsman416]

My last house was in town and every year there was a goose with an orange band around it's neck that would nest in a little grassy area down the street from me. Three or four years in a row I saw it there. I'll have to check up and see if it's still there.

I never heard of coon banding before. Did they give you a number to call? Any follow up info on the coons?

[snydboshawn]

I've heard of banded coons but have never seen one. JC I'm interested in the reporting also. Do they give rewards?

[SamPAtrapper]

;D

[Deleted]

its the same for me for a while we didn't have any geese on our creek/ swamp then maybe 4 or 5 years ago we had a pair come and they nested for the year and two or three were hatched but only the two mates had come back and it was the same the next spring and then the last two years i have watched the flock go from two birds to about 8 or 10 and i have seen about two pairs that have come back now.

[Admin]

Yesterday I saw the female finally building her nest in the same spot as the previous 2 years.

[trapperandhunter]

nice !

[Admin]

Mar 24, 2009 11:29:10 GMT -5 snydboshawn said:

I've heard of banded coons but have never seen one. JC I'm interested in the reporting also. Do they give rewards?

I don't remember any info stating that I should call it in. I think it was something like a rabies vaccination. I kept them and when I come across them I will see.

Coon ear tags, waterfowl bands, turkey beards, spurs and antlers. It;s all cool stuff ;D