Terry Jurenka has played host to a pair of Canadian geese for 5 consecutive years. Every year, the visiting couple nest in his yard until their flock of goslings hatches, then they head off until the following year, when they will nest again.
Terry explains that their first year of nesting was not so successful: "The first year they came was the year that hail storm came through and took out the airport hangars and stuff. The eggs didn't survive. Every since then, they've come back, and they've had 3 or 4 or 5 little ones. This year, they had 6."
It isn't unusual for Canadian geese to return to the same nesting site year after year. Typically, they nest in an elevated spot, like a hill. The Jurenka's yard offers a perfect perch for a mother to be able to stare at the Bears Paw Mountains: atop a pair of 10 foot tree stumps. "This is a pair of stumps that my dad bought in Lincoln in the 1985 time frame. He hauled them home and set them here for looks. They're starting to get old." The aging of the stumps makes them a more suitable spot for nesting, as the top and center have begun to get soft and dip downward, making a perfect concave space for the mother goose to keep her eggs safe.
When spring comes, the geese return for their nesting visit. Terry explains: "The geese fly around here in the spring. Then finally, the gander puts her up there, and he stays out in the pasture and watches her. For a little while in the evening, they fly off so she can eat, then he puts her back up there." This is also typical of ganders, who watch from nearby in order to protect the nest and eggs from predators.
The mother to be and the Jurenka family have developed a relationship of mutual respect, watching each other and giving the appropriate space. "The goose, she lets me mow and she just watches. We give her her space. I mow and leave her alone." Terry explains that his grandkids have gotten used to watching from the house and waiting for the goslings to emerge.
The family has plenty of time to watch the nesting mother, but only a short window to see her babies, as they tend to move on relatively quickly. "She sits up there until they're hatched. Then you've got about a 15 or 20 minute time frame. The mother goose just comes down, and they all just jump off of there. Then they just wandered out into the field, and they're gone." This is also typical behavior for Canadian geese, who tend to nest separately until the eggs hatch then move their offspring to a place where they can eat and mature.
Terry moved to Big Sandy with his wife 9 years ago and have been enjoying their annual visitors from Canada. He says that the 6 gosling group was the largest he's seen so far.
