Anne and I had a wonderful time in Slovenia, and yesterday she flew back to Shorewood while I flew back to Delft. I had hardly any jetlag to speak of, largely due to staying in the same time zone for the entire trip, so I got out the door bright and early at sunrise this morning, 8:11 am, and I was greeted by a beautiful, sunny day. I counted 17 species of bird on my walk to work, including a falcon back in the six-o’clock slot.
Work was fine, and it was great to see everyone again, but on my walk home for lunch I was stunned to encounter two Egyptian geese, probably the same two I’ve been seeing on campus all “winter”, with four brand-new goslings! Holy early-bird, Batman!
Here’s the entire sextet.
Here’s a close-up of just mama and her rug rats.
Finally, here are two cutie pies starting to go down for their afternoon nap.
Now I know what some of you are thinking. First, this is a non-native species in Europe with “self-sustaining populations … mostly derived from escaped ornamental birds.” Second, it is February, frickin’ 8th, and that’s just too darn soon.
On the other hand, and please hear me out, they are GOSLINGS!
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 