With Mama Swan completely off the nest and back to her normal routine, her appetite’s slowly returning and she’s enjoying lots of leisure time on the water. That is, if you can count pedaling at top speed after an alarmed Canada Goose that can’t fly as “leisure!” She’s been quite subdued the last few days, so I expected to see her either floating serenely with Papa Swan nearby, or maybe just dozing on the water, with her bill tucked under a wing. We had been a little concerned that she didn’t have much energy. What a difference one day makes! There she was, wings up high, charging with all her might after one small goose. Never mind the other fifty nearby. For some reason, that one bird managed to get her special attention and she was clearly having so much fun, as the hapless goose honked (they lose their flight feathers while molting, so swimming was his only escape). Mama was bouncing along, gaining on him by the minute but as she came ‘round the bend at the narrow end of the lagoon, there was Papa, energetically rooting out some goodies from beneath the water, and curiosity got the best of her. This time, a few tasty morsels won out over scaring geese, so she joined Papa for an afternoon snack, and the Canada Goose kept right on going, heading for calmer waters.

[c]Mama Swan on her Wild Goose Chase - June 23, 2008[/c]
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