Baby Geese

The first batch of seven baby geese appeared on our pond today.

Cooling Off

The weather this Spring has been like a yo-yo with the temperatures oscillating between hot and cold extremes. The local deer are just starting to shed their winter coats and this deer was trying to cool off in our pond as today's temperature were into the 80's.

West Hill Bathtub

Time to check the West Hill game cameras.

The little bear cubs from last summer have grown, but they still like playing in the bathtub. The Bobcat made a couple of visits to the bathtub, along with some turkeys.

Bird Flu

I called the PA Game Commission on Tuesday to report the sick goose. In the meantime the goose's condition deteriorated more and by 7:30PM it was last seen in the lawn, a few feet from the township road. It took the officer over 24 hours before he could be on site and by then it appears the goose had been removed by scavengers. I asked the officer about bird flu in the area and he acknowledged removing geese with bird flu, but also removed Bald Eagles with bird flu from the same areas. The Bald Eagles are scavengers that feed on dead geese. On Wednesday morning there were 4 Bald Eagles feeding on "road-kill" just 200 yards from the last location of the sick goose. Some photos I took of the Bald Eagles while waiting for the officer.

Sick Goose

For the past couple of days I've been watching a Canada Goose at the neighbor's pond. I thought the goose was nesting, but today it looks like the goose may have avian influenza (bird flu). Today the goose was laid out flat in the lawn and didn't move for hours. When I move in to take photos the goose tried to fly, but couldn't. The goose then tried to walk, but fell down and rolled over on it's back.

Tree Removal

There was a strong wind today as a neighbor was having trees removed next to their house. Not my idea of fun on a windy day.