One misty, moisty morning, when cloudy was the weather, Laurel Marie Amirault of Pubnico chanced to meet a busy mother Goose. She snapped this image last week at Belleisle Marsh, near Bridgetown, Nova Scotia.
It’s hard to say exactly how many goslings this bird has in tow. I count at least 17, but there could be more.
Since the average brood size for Canada geese hovers around five, the experts on the Nova Scotia Bird Society’s Facebook Page, where Amirault posted the photo, speculated that baby sitting, adoption, or kidnapping was at play. Opinions divided as to whether one goose could successfully look after so many charges.
This is a fantastic time to follow the Nova Scotia Bird Society’s Facebook Group. Nova Scotia’s forests, fields, and waterways are bursting with new arrivals, and the many talented photographers in the group furnish a continual stream of gorgeous images.
Photo credit: Laurel Marie Amirault. Used by permission. Source: Parker Donham