I remember when we first moved to North America from overseas everything was brand new to the kids. One day we were walking in a nature preserve and the kids marveled at the birds. They chose the perfect time, as a couple was walking by, to exclaim, “Geese! Geese! Look! Geese!” This made the couple chuckle and my husband and I joined in the chuckle. To exclaim in such wonder at such an ordinary and common bird was humorous to all the adults. Usually, however, these little moments are a reminder to us to exclaim at the wonders we see in the creation around us!
In his classic, The Burgess Bird Book for Children, Thornton W. Burgess highlights Honker and his family’s arrival to the Great River as a very sure sign of the coming of winter. During migration, you’ll see Canada Geese flying in a “V” formation and it is truly beautiful!
The Canada Goose is a water bird. It has webbed feet and swims in the water. Not only that, but they also nest near water. They eat grass, sedges, seeds, and grains and so you often see them grazing over large open fields. This is a major reason why they are regarded to be pests, because the large open fields we cultivate attract them. If you research them more on Cornell Lab’s allaboutbirds.org, you’ll see that there are actually 11 different subspecies of Canada Goose and you can scroll through some of them. They range in size and color pattern, but are similar. Can you find the subspecies that is common where you live?
Here is what we found for Honker, the Canada Goose:
One of my husband’s colleagues likes to refer to the Canada Goose as a “Cobra Chicken” and now that always makes us laugh as we see them. They do have a very prominent neck!
Until next time, keep wondering at the world around you! <3 Kate
For more about Burgess Birds, check out:
The Burgess Writing & Coloring Pages
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