The Pack Of Sikes Lake Coyotes Continues To Chase Away The Geese

The temporary return to Winter ended yesterday, with the return to a clear blue sky and the sun heating the air to a warm temperature.

This 4th Monday of the 2024 version of April is another warm, clear blue sky day. And so I drove to Sikes Lake this morning to commune with nature and to acquire some endorphins via aerobic stimulation.

The recently installed Sikes Lake pack of coyotes seems to have had the intended effect, scaring the geese flock to move to a new location.

However, the coyotes do not seem to worry blue herons. You can see a blue heron at the top left of the photo, in the direction the coyote is looking.

I wonder where the geese that survived the mass execution of 384 geese have moved to. I saw a few geese at Lake Wichita Park yesterday. I do not recollect previously seeing geese at that location...

Geese Flocking Back To Sikes Lake On First Day Of September

A couple days ago I was at Sikes Lake and made mention of the fact that I saw not a single goose.

I speculated that the survivors of the mass execution of Sikes Lake geese had decided to relocate to a safter location.

Well, I was back at Sikes Lake on this first day of September. And geese were also back, which is what you see floating on the lake.

Is this a migrating flock who dropped in for a rest on their way somewhere else, not realizing the danger they were in by floating in Sikes Lake, the site of the recent mass execution of 343 geese.

The temperature is scheduled to be back over 100 for this first day of the new month, with multiple following days also over 100.

But, the temperature was barely 90 when I walked around the lake, which felt relatively chilly, what with a refreshing breeze blowing...

Humid Monday Walkaround Sikes Lake With A Few Geese Honking

On this second Monday of July, with the temperature in the 80s, with little wind blowing, along with extreme humidity making the temperature in the 80s feel way hotter, it was to Sikes Lake I ventured today for a walk around the lake.

This was my second return to Sikes Lake after learning of the shocking murder of 343 Sikes Lake geese, who were rounded up, marched into a container of some sort, and then gassed to death with carbon dioxide.

So far I have seen no information regarding what was done with the corpses of those 343 geese. 

On Saturday, both on the way to Lucy Park, and on the way back, there was a large group, well, maybe a dozen, of locals protesting the mass murder of the Sikes Lake geese. I have no clue what the protestors want to see happen. I don't think anyone can get arrested for the mass geese murder. The extermination was sanctioned by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department at the request of Midwestern State University officials.

Today, at Sikes Lake, I saw that the remaining 40 some geese have segregated themselves into two separate flocks. One flock, the one you see above, is flocking at the east end of the lake, by the parking lot.

The other flock is flocking at the west end of the lake, which is what you see above. A couple ducks were mingling with the geese at the west end of the lake.

I am curious what happened to all those murdered geese. Aren't geese edible? Maybe MSU should have had a big BBQ...

More Details About The Mass Murder Of Sikes Lake Geese

 A couple days ago I blogged about the Mass Execution Of Sikes Lake Geese By MSU & Texas Wildlife Services.

At time I knew only a few details about the Goose Executions. I now know a lot more.

From one local news source I learned many locals are not okay with the goose mass murders...

Rumors of the removal of the geese from Sikes Lake began circulating on social media prior to Monday, June 19, leading to overwhelming backlash from many community members.

Many residents of Wichita Falls continue to express outrage and sadness over the decision to remove and euthanize almost all of the geese at Sikes Lake, and our newsroom continues to field questions from viewers and outraged comments on social media.

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334 geese were killed.

The flock of geese was concentrated using something called "funnel nets" directing the birds into a trailer. Carbon dioxide was then pumped into the trailer, killing the geese.

I do not know what was done with the 334 dead geese. I also do not know when this mass execution took place, as in what time of the day. There are always people at Sikes Lake during the day. How is it not photos have shown up of this happening?

Since the original story about this appeared in the Wichita Falls Times Record News, with that article saying the reason for killing all thoses geese was due to the damage they were doing to the MSU campus. This was said without explaining what that damage was.

Subsequent articles in other local news sources have elaborated on what the geese were doing that was so damaging. Such as grazing on lake side vegetation which supposedly destroyed ground cover, leading to erosion and siltation.

I have walked around Sikes Lakes many times over the years and have seen zero evidence of ground cover destruction.

Also, it is claimed that goose poop contains a high level of salmonella, which presented a danger to kids who came in contact with it.

It is also now claimed that a lake with a high population of birds can cause a botulism outbreak.

The plan to keep the Sikes Lake goose population under control seems a tad bizarre. Apparently something called an "egg-addling" program is going to be implemented.

To addle an egg means you cover a fertilized egg with vegetable oil. This cuts off the oxygen supply to the goose waiting to hatch. The mama goose then continues to sit on the egg, which will never hatch. As long as the mama goose is sitting on some eggs, she won't lay any new eggs.

This really makes little sense to me. How long does the poor mama goose sit on those eggs, waiting for them to hatch? And how are the egg nests found? I have never seen a nesting goose at Sikes Lake. I have seen dozens upon dozens of newly hatched goslings, but never a nest.

That photo at the top I took months ago. Two ladies were creating a goose frenzy, feeding the goose flock birdseed. I talked to the two ladies. They daily delivered birdseed to the Sikes Lake geese. The geese recognized the lady's vehicle upon arrival causing the flock to flock towards the vehicle. 

The lady in the photo, surrounded by geese, told me she had rescued an injured goose a couple days prior. Had taken the goose to a veterinarian, who was fixing the injured bird. The lady was getting the goose later that day to return it to the lake.

I suspect those two birdseed feeding ladies are among the many upset about the execution of 334 Sikes Lake geese...

Mass Execution Of Sikes Lake Geese By MSU & Texas Wildlife Services

 On Sunday I walked around Sikes Lake, afterwards blogging Breezy Balmy Sikes Lake Father's Day Walk With Ducks in which I made mention of the fact that I'd never seen so few geese at this location. As in I only saw four geese that day.

This morning, via the Wichita Falls Times Record News I learned why I saw so few geese on Sunday.

A mass execution extermination euthanizing of the Sikes Lake goose population.

Here are four explanatory paragraphs from the article in the Times Record News...

MSU Texas confirmed Tuesday that the majority of Canada geese have been removed from Sikes Lake in an effort to better maintain the lake and curb overpopulation concerns. MSU contracted with the United States Department of Agriculture - Texas Wildlife Services to complete the removal. Relocation was not a viable option because Canadian geese typically return to their previous home after being relocated. Because of this, TWS euthanized the geese. 

In a statement, MSU marketing and public information director Julie Gaynor said the university explored options and settled on working with the USDA.

“Over the past year, Midwestern State University has been exploring how best to manage the overpopulation of Canada Geese in and around Sikes Lake. The overpopulation of geese has created extensive damage across the campus.

One of the largest concerns Gaynor said the removal addressed was worries about overpopulation and the diseases that can spread among wildlife populations when that happens. Gaynor said there are about 50 Sikes Lake geese remaining.

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About 50 geese remain? All but four must have gone into hiding due to witnessing the capture of most of their relatives.

The geese created extensive damage across the campus? Like what? The only visible damage, if you can call it that, was way too much goose poop on the paved trail around the lake.

It would have been interesting to eye witness the capture of all those geese. How was this accomplished one cannot help but wonder? The geese waddled quickly when a human got too close. Or took flight. The goose flock spent a lot of their time floating on the lake. How were those floating geese arrested?

I likely will never know the answer to these probing questions...

Monday Morning Sikes Lake Reptile & Gosling Encounters

On this third Monday of May it was back to Sikes Lake I ventured this morning for salubrious nature communing.

We have had four days in a row with the weather prediction predicting thunderstorms and rain, including today. But each day ends up being mostly dry and free of loud booms.

The baby geese, also known as goslings, population seems to be of record breaking size this year. I suppose it may be a post COVID baby boom.

I had a reptile encounter of the non-snake sort today.

A turtle was lounging among the pink evening primroses. Why do I find turtles to be cute, whilst I find snakes to be anything but cute?

Years ago I was swimming in Lake Grapevine, in the DFW zone, when a reptilian head suddenly popped up in front of me. I thought water moccasin and did not know I was able to swim as fast as I swam to get out of the water.

The reptilian head had followed me to shore, which is when I realized it was a turtle that was chasing me, not a snake.

This incident became the last time I have been in a Texas lake...

Sunday Sikes Lake Goose Walking With Goslings

As the sun was doing its setting duty last night lightning began flashing, non-stop, for about an hour. Prior to the lightning flashing huge globs of water plopped to the ground with a thud. The globs must have been big balls of hail prior to melting soon before hitting the ground.

I recollect no strong wind blowing last night, but by morning's light a lot of wind damage appeared. Tree limbs, pieces of roofing, and some litter.

So, with the sky still cloudy on this first Sunday of the 2023 version of May it was to Sikes Lake I ventured to do some goose walking around the lake.

Above you see some of the geese, posing with pink evening primroses. Behind the geese that is the bridge across the creek which enters Sikes Lake at the west end of the lake.

Soon after crossing the aforementioned bridge I came up the small goose family you see here. Mom and dad and seven goslings.

About 100 feet further I came upon a much large flock of goslings. I could not get them all in the photo, along with the multiple full size geese being gosling-sitters.

A severe thunderstorm is on the weather menu for later today...

Sikes Spring Sprung With Gosling Flotilla

This final Saturday of the 2023 version of April is being a mighty fine blue-sky day at my Texas location.

I have not done much nature communing the past couple turbulent thuderstorming days.

So, today I made my way a short distance north to walk around Sikes Lake, along with a lot of others out enjoying the return to non-inclement weather.

You know Spring has totally sprung when you see wildflowers blooming, along with freshly hatched goslings, like the flotilla you see above, which I found floating at the west end of Sikes Lake. A convoy with the goose parental units guarding both ends of the flotilla.

A short distance away I saw another goose family, but this unit had only two goslings, guarded by mom and dad...

Walking Around Sikes Lake With Geese Thinking About Elsie Hotpepper

It was back to Sikes Lake I went today on the second Thursday of the 2022 version of September.

As you can see, geese have taken over the Sikes Lake gazebo you see here.

That gazebo was the location of the last time I saw the elusive Elsie Hotpepper, in person. Walking by this gazebo today I strained my memory to try and remember when that was that I last saw Elsie Hotpepper.

I know it was pre-COVID. I think it may have been at some point in time during the year of 2018. That would make it around four years since the last, in person, Elsie Hotpepper sighting.

I can not remember when my last drive to the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex took place. That also was pre-COVID. For years I made a once a month trek to DFW.

COVID put an end to a lot of repetitive habits. And spawned many new repetitive habits...

Geese Feeding Frenzy At Drought Shrunk Sikes Lake

With the temperature a few degrees less than 100 I opted to drive to Sikes Lake for a relatively semi-chilly walk around the lake.

Upon arrival I saw a large contingent of Sikes Lake geese and ducks surrounding a lady tossing them food from a big bag of bird seed.

There were two bird feeders. I talked to the one standing next to me, not surrounded by birds. She told me they come feed the birds every day. And the flock is so used to this that when they see them arrive, in their white vehicle, they come waddling towards them.

This explains why, on more than one occasion, when I have arrived at this location, driving my white vehicle, that the flock of birds starts coming towards me. A behavior I found slightly disturbing.

No, that is not Sikes Lake at low tide you see above. That is Sikes Lake in drought mode, drying up.

Years ago Sikes Lake was dredged, with the material which was dredged hauled to Lake Wichita where it was turned into the tall pile of dried mud we refer to as Mount Wichita, also known as Murphy's Hill.

Methinks Sikes Lake is due for a new dredging, with a new mountain made at Lake Wichita, to be called the Twin Peaks of Wichita Falls.

Hot Walking Sikes Lake With Obstinate Geese

It was back to Sikes Lake I went today to do some HOT hiking with the Sikes Lake geese. 

The geese were being exceptionally annoying today. Instead of getting out of my way they slowly waddled in front of me til I could take it no more and moved them out of my way by increasing my speed til I out waddled them.

I had not made note of the above patch of Sikes Lake wildflowers before. Not sure what brand these are. Indian Paintbrush, maybe?

Apparently we are heading into a record breaking heat wave, with day after day after day over 100, under something called a heat dome which will be heating up the Southwest, all the way from Texas to Nevada.

Linda Lou called last night and made mention of how fun it would be to take a cruise somewhere cool.

Like Alaska.

Linda Lou is currently house sitting for Miss Beth who is currently cruising to Alaska, having set sail from Seattle a couple days ago.

Linda Lou informed me it was Seattle from which Miss Beth set sail. A couple days ago I mentioned not knowing if it was from Seattle or Vancouver the cruising began.

I have only been to Alaska once, flying from Seattle to Juneau, and then a seaplane to Hoonah, then the Alaska ferry to Sitka, then flying back to Seattle.

What I saw of Alaska was similar to Washington scenery, on steroids. Things like the Mendenhall Glacier. And I remember the saltwater being the clearest I had ever seen, being able to look deep into the water.

Windy Sikes Lake Walk With Goslings

Yesterday, after communing with nature at Sikes Lake I mentioned that the geese and ducks were acting frisky.

And that baby goslings and ducklings would be appearing soon.

Well. Soon turned out to be today. Can you spot the pair of goslings above? Guarded by their hissing honking maternal parental unit.

Let's go for a closer look...

I have never been at Sikes Lake and seen a mama goose sitting on eggs, waiting for them to hatch. I have no idea where the maternity ward might be. There is not a lot of cover surrounding Sikes Lake. It is mostly open with, a few bushes that a hatchling might hatch under.. 

No blue sky over my area of Texas today. Total cloud cover. With strong wind blowing extremely gusty at time. Rain on the menu for tomorrow.

Sikes Lake Evening Primrose Appearance With Frisky Geese

They are not quite as eye catching as a field of colorful tulips, but every Spring the Texas landscape becomes more colorful than it is for the other three seasons, with the blooming of wildflowers, of multiple types and colors.

Above you are seeing some Evening Primroses which have sprouted out of the ground since the last time I walked around Sikes Lake.

Yesterday, when Linda Lou rode to Walmart with me, my vehicle's temperature monitoring thermometer said the temperature was 106. My phone said it was 102. It felt like 125.

Today's walk around Sikes Lake was only slightly HOT, temperatured into the mid 80s.

Texas is in a state of severe drought. This may limit the amount of color the wildflowers will be blooming this year.

The Sikes geese were being frisky today. One hissed at me, another seemed to be chasing me. I think the hot weather and a lot of green stuff to eat is making the geese overly energetic.

Soon flocks of goslings and ducklings should be making their annual appearance...

Sikes Lake Geese Pouting Over Friday's Snow Forecast

It was to Sikes Lake I went today for my daily morning constitutional. I was not over or under dressed for today's temperature, unlike my other recent walking outings. Today was a t-shirt and shorts type day.

If the weather forecasters are correct tomorrow will be a don't bother going outside type day, with the arrival of yet one more Arctic Blast, along with possible snow.

Above, that is the Sikes Lake dam's spillway you are looking at, currently not spilling any water.

The Sikes Lake dam is located at the southeast end of the lake.

And now, in the above location, we are at the southwest end of the lake, about to cross a bridge over the creek which delivers water to Sikes Lake. I do not know if the name of the creek is Sikes Creek.

The Sikes Lake geese were acting odd today. Multiple geese clusters in multiple locations. With some clusters clustering dozens of geese, some clustering less than a dozen. And solo geese, likely ostracized for some reason, like the one you see above.

The geese were doing a lot of honking today. Usually they are quiet. Maybe the geese got the weather forecast and are not happy that they get snowed on again, what with Spring arriving in about ten days that just does not seem right...

Bike Riding With Dozens Of Goslings In Sikes Lake

Rolled my bike to Sikes Lake this second Saturday of the 2021 version of May. A couple days ago I was at this location and saw a few dozen goslings being herded across the paved trail, heading to the lake. Walkers and bikers stopped to watch and not interrupt the passage. 

The guardian geese get quite aggressive with their protecting the babies duty. You get a warning hiss noise with a tongue stuck out and wagging. I have not pressed the issue far enough to see what happens if one presses forward toward the hissing tongue.

I have been goosed by a goose before. I believe that is the correct term indicating being bitten by an angry goose. It is painful. It happened to me in a raspberry patch in Washington when I was a pre-teenager. 

The temperature was in the mid 80s whilst biking. The wind blew strong from the south. So strong it made for slow going in the lowest gear when heading home via the Circle Trail.

I saw a lot of golfers golfing on the golf course east side of Holliday Creek. How does one golf when the wind is blowing 30 miles per hour, with gusts?

Hot Biking Sikes Lake With Ryan Goslings & Pink Evening Primroses

With the outer world temperature heading to the semi-hot 80s I decided it was a good day to take my bike's wheels on a roll on this final Monday of the 2021 version of April.

Soon after arriving at the paved trail around Sikes Like I came upon what you see photo documented above, a fresh flock of Ryan Goslings, soon after hatching, judging by their tiny size.

I think I recently made mention of the fact that this year's crop of Evening Primrose wildflowers is the most prolific I have seen at this Sikes Lake location. See that patch of pink on the other side of the lake? Let's cross the bridge and get a better look.

A couple geese politely posing in the field of pink.

Soon after seeing the above scene I came upon another flock of freshly hatched goslings. I did not stop to photo document them.

The gosling's parental units seemed to be overly protective, with the paternal goose parental unit doing that goose hiss thing at me which often precedes getting goosed.

Shadow Of Shivering Thin Man Above Wichita Bluff Hoodoo

That is a shivering selfie you see here, with my extra grumpy it's cold face on.

The real temperature may have been above freezing, but the gale force wind, delivered in gusts, made it feel like a severe Arctic Blast had blown into town.

Even so, I had myself a mighty fine time communing with nature in the Wichita Bluff Nature Area.

It has been awhile since I have seen the Wichita Bluff Nature Area Roadrunner. 

The Wily Coyote nemesis's usual hangout is in the area around the covered picnic pavilion one comes to at the highest point on the Bluffs.

I have never seen a Coyote whilst hiking on the Wichita Bluffs. But, where there is a Roadrunner there has to be a Coyote. This is a well known scientific fact.

Maybe I should bring some bird food with me next time I hike the Wichita Bluffs.

I brought goose food with me last time I walked around Sikes Lake. This created a frenzied furor. Most geese are well behaved most of the time. But something about the herd mentality, well, flock mentality, can get them acting a bit crazed when food is involved.

The feeding frenzy starts off semi-polite, then competing flocks join in.

And ducks.

The geese do not seem to like the ducks.

And then seagulls, which usually keep to themselves atop the coffer dam which crosses the lake, join the fray in nosedive mode. The diving gulls are not too intimidating.

But then this goose flock of four. A different breed. Bigger and light colored. And very aggressive, march in like the law arriving, honking and squawking. 

And hissing. 

I threw some bird food at the invading Gang of Four. But, they were not interested in that. The leader of the Gang came right at me, determined to take the box of bird food away from me. Defensive measures on my part did not work. The goose kept coming at me. So, I threw what remained of the bird food towards the better behaved birds, and quickly made my exit.

I seem to have digressed a bit from the Wichita Bluffs. Let us get back to there.

 Above we see the long Shadow of the Wichita Bluff Thin Man, hovering over the only Hoodoo construction currently constructed in the Wichita Bluff Nature Area designated Hoodoo area.

It ain't easy to operate a phone camera whilst wearing gloves. But, I managed, eventually.

I do not know when we are scheduled to warm up at my location. I can not remember when last I felt like riding my bike.

Speaking of riding my bike. Last night sister Michele texted me the phone numbers of the Tacoma Trio, David, Theo and Ruby. I did not know if these phones were text message enabled. I am assuming the Tacoma Trio got phones so as to alleviate some of the social isolation they are experiencing due to being cut off from going to school. 

So, this afternoon I text messaged each number, not knowing if the message was gonna go anywhere. A few minutes passed and the phone made its incoming message noise. It was from Theo. Made my day. 

And the speaking of bikes part relates to my hope that next summer I will be in Tacoma, with my bike, and Theo and I (and maybe David and Ruby) will go mountain bike riding in this cool Tacoma park with miles of mountain bike trails, which Theo and his siblings took me to last time I was in Tacoma...

Diabetic Empowered Goose Duck Feeding Frenzy At Sikes Lake

Last week someone in my orbit learned diabetes was the reason for mysterious weight loss and swollen feet, among various other maladies.

In addition to a daily dose of something called Metformin, the diabetic's doctor directed that a total change in food intake was needed, basically what is known as the Keto diet is what the doctor prescribed.

I proceeded to help the diabetic get rid of all the stuff which was no longer consumable, all of which is nothing I consume, and so the volume of now non-edibles was either discarded, or done with what I did today.

As in I created a goose duck frenzy at Sikes Lake by tossing shredded wheat and corn squares cereal into the water. I know one is not supposed to feed geese and ducks processed bread products, but my information sources indicated the whole grain cereal was okay.

And the birds seemed to like it. They quickly began arriving from all over the lake.

The non-bird food went into the garbage. I did not seek any other humans who might want what was left of a tub of ice cream, the remains of a box of chocolate chip cookies, apple fritters, pudding, sugar cubes and a plethora of other excessively sugar laden products.

I really don't understand how someone can eat this type stuff in copious volumes and think no harm is being done...

Sunday Church Walk With Sikes Lake Geese Before McDonald's Cheeseburgers

This Sunday morning, with going to church not an option, unless I wanted to go to the Cowboy Church on Jacksboro Highway, a reality I learned later in the day, I opted to join the throngs of former churchgoers enjoying one of God's local outdoor temples, that being the trail around Sikes Lake.

The Sikes Lake geese seem to have found a new level of liking the humans, what with so many of them visiting their Sikes Lake home due to the COVID-19 increase in visitors.

In the first of today's photo documentation I had just joined the promenade of walkers following the biggest goose family living at the lake. Mom and dad hatched 17 babies this birthing season.

Mother goose has become so used to the humans she no longer does her threatening hissing if you get too close to her babies.

Above we have stopped for a closer visit.

And closer.

And even closer.

That first goose family was walking the trail near the parking lot on the east side of Sikes Lake. The above, much smaller, goose family was on the south side of the lake. These babies were closer to being newborns than the first ones we saw. And their mother was a bit more protective, doing some distant hissing when my co-walker reached out to pet one of the fuzzy goslings.

After walking around Sikes Lake the hiking crew returned to the motorized means of transport so I could drive us to the nearest McDonald's drive-thru to acquire a bag of cheeseburgers to munch on during a drive which ended up driving by that aforementioned Cowboy Church on Jacksboro Highway, south of Wichita Falls.

And now, what with the outer world seeming still, as in not windy like it has been for days, methinks I will go on a bike ride to Lake Wichita and join the throngs social distancing there...

Hot Walking With Sikes Lake Goslings

The last time I walked from my abode's location to Sikes Lake I think we were still shivering in the throes of winter.

Today's walk to Sikes Lake, with less than a month to go before the arrival of summer, felt like summer had already arrived.

As in HOT, HUMID heated into the 80s, but feeling way HOTTER.

Strong wind provided some relief.

Today it appeared that all the Sikes Lake's gosling flocks had united in one tribal group, yet still separated into their three family groups, within the tribe.

Above you are looking at the largest flock of goslings. Mom and dad goose apparently were very busy with the procreating.

The smallest family group in the tribe is that which you see below.

When I moved in closer to take photos of the gosling group you see in the top photo, the family in the above photo startled me by honking out of their shore side hideout to quickly float away from me being too close. They did, however politely pose for the photo.