“A Family Affair” by Neal Maine/ PacificLight Images.
Canada geese and goslings.
Neawanna Creek, Seaside, Oregon
May 2018
Image back-story: Female Canada goose (on the left) leaving the nest on top of a tree snag after 26 days of incubating eggs. Eight goslings (just hatched moments before) are attempting to follow. Male Canada goose (on the right) honks a directive and lines the eight on a log that reaches down to the ground. Goslings follow the male. At the gallery, there is a notebook of images capturing the event, quite aptly titled, “Neal Maine’s Wide Goose Chase.”
Fun facts:
Nest site (chosen by female) is usually on slightly elevated dry ground near water, with good visibility. Nest (built by female) is slight depression with shallow bowl of sticks, grass, weeds, moss, lined with down. Male defends territory with displays, including lowering head almost to ground with bill slightly raised and open, hissing; also pumps head up and down while standing. May mate for life.
For more info, go to http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/canada-goose
During the mating season Canada geese lose all their feathers and they are not able to fly until their feathers grow back. The female Canada goose may lay up to nine eggs and the male protects them for nearly 28 days until the goslings hatch. The migration route of Canada geese never change. In fact, they use the same route every year. Canada goose live up to 10 to 24 years in the wild.
Adult Canada geese have about 13 different calls, ranging from low clucks and murmurs communicated while feeding and loud greeting and alarm calls. Goslings even start to communicate with their parents while they are still in the egg. A gosling can make a call, or peep, if it is distressed or content. Baby goslings are able to eat, swim and walk from the moment they are born.
For more info, go to https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/animal-facts-canada-goose
“It’s Play Day” by Neal Maine/ PacificLight Images.
Eight jubilant goslings.
Hatching to land and water, approx. 3 minutes!
Neawanna Creek, Seaside, Oregon
May 2018
Indeed, eight Jubilant goslings showing joy, satisfaction and triumph as they touch land for the first time, just moments after hatching.
The ubiquitous Canada goose is one of the best known birds in North America. It is found in every contiguous U.S. state and Canadian province at one time of the year or another.
For more info, go to: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/c/canada-goose
After a thirty-year career as an award winning biology teacher at Seaside High School, Neal Maine became the first executive director of North Coast Land Conservancy, which he co-founded in 1986. Since his retirement from the land trust in 2010, he has pursued his passion for nature photography through PacificLight Images, a partnership with Michael Wing, dedicated to raising awareness of coastal ecology and the wildlife with whom we share the region’s estuaries, freshwater wetlands and forests. Their photography centers around coastal and Columbia River landscape, ecology and the rich estuary habitat with the surrounding wetlands and forest systems.
Neal Maine focuses his imagery on exploring wildlife in the context of its habitat, while Michael’s specialty is capturing action images that illustrates the dynamic nature of coastal wildlife. PacificLight Images is dedicated to working with coastal communities to protect wildlife habitat and its connectivity. A percentage of all photography sales are donated to North Coast Land Conservancy to help further this goal.
To view a catalog of PacificLight Images, please go to http://www.fairweatherhouseandgallery.com/ …artists / …Neal Maine
“With renewed humility, we are learning how to share this place, to live together with our partner trail makers. PacificLight Images celebrates this partnership as we use our images to inspire others to honor nature’s trails in OUR OWN BACKYARD.
To view more images available from Neal Maine, please go to www.fairweatherhouseandgallery.com