Humid Goose Stepping With Feisty Sikes Lake Geese

Yesterday saw rain falling nonstop for hours. Eventually, after hours of being housebound, I made my way across the moat-like flooded zone surrounding my abode to my motorized motion device to drive to Walmart.

Today, the first Saturday of the 2022 version of June, a mostly clear sky has returned, along with extreme humidity making 77 degrees feel way hotter.

Before noon I decided to roll that aforementioned motorized motion device to Sikes Lake to join the throngs of humans and geese.

The group of goslings you see above, with their maternal parental unit guarding them, greeted me where I parked. Mother goose did not hiss too much at me when I walked around her babies.

A quarter mile later, on the south end of Sikes Lake, I stopped walking when I came to a large gang of geese who then started chasing me when they saw I was taking their picture.

Geese are so temperamental. I think they were being extra feisty today due to being happy it is not raining and not windy.

Most of the Sikes Lake geese belong to a flock. But you do see some loners, or pairs, and wonder if they had been banished for some reason. Or are they just anti-social geese?

I think if I were a goose I would choose not to be in a flock...

All Sikes Lake Goslings On Display Today With Pink Evening Primroses

On this 3rd Saturday of the 2021 version of May I rolled my bike north on the Circle Trail for a few miles, with a windy assist from the south speeding me along effortlessly. Eventually I tired of the easy sailing, so I exited the Circle Trail to head west to Sikes Lake. 

Whilst in the outer world today the temperature was nearing 80, with that aforementioned wind blowing in clouds which later today are scheduled to produce booming thunder and possible big balls of hail.

My past couple rides around Sikes Lake I have not seen that big throng of goslings I have previously made mention of. I have no clue where they go when they are not seen. It is not like there are a lot of places to hide dozens of geese.

Yesterday's bike ride I came up on a mom and dad goose pair with four goslings. There were waddling on the parking lot of Vernon College, which is located at the northwest end of Sikes Lake. I would have taken a photo of those geese at that odd location, but at that point in time I was focused on my malfunctioning music playing device.

Today I saw all the geese previously seen.

The big flock of dozens of goslings, and their full grown guardians, were first seen exiting the lake. Doing such appeared to be a struggle for some of the goslings. I crossed the bridge and got myself south of the flock to take the photo you see above, where you can see some of the goslings in the field of pink evening primroses.

A short distance, as in about 50 feet, to the east of the flock of gosling frolicking in the primroses, I came upon what appeared to be the goose family I saw yesterday at Vernon College.

Minus one gosling.

I have been told it is treacherous sailing for the goslings when they are paddling on the lake. There are big fish in Sikes Lake.

Catfish and bass.

I have seen those monsters jump out of the lake to catch a fly. Apparently those big fish will also quickly swallow a little gosling floating on by. Such would likely happen so quickly mom and dad goose would have no clue what happened to one of their babies.

Mother Nature can be a harsh mama at times...