A happy Friday to all, and I hope that this post will lift your spirits for the weekend.
I saw the two pups play fighting on the lawn.
We were away on a short break, and now it was time to go and check if everything was still the same, or similar since we arrived back home. We know that in nature things can change in an instant, but thankfully all of the little ones were still okay.
So come and see how they are doing.
Happily frolicking around on the grass.
This was the reason why we came here.
First thing that I did was to count the goslings and I am happy to show you that there were still 7 goslings left. They followed their normal routine, at first having some lunch.
Then into the pond for a luxurious swim. Mom forever watching.
Real cuties when they drift around on the water like that. I think that mankind learned how to float by watching the birds :)
And then they cuddled together the same way that they did when they were born.
And finally watch a Fork-tailed Drongo on the hunt.
He appeared to be a youngster, and I will show you why I think so.
This was his dive down to collect some insect on the grass below the tree.
But he came back up empty handed or should that be empty beaked :)
Drongos are very fast and accurate hunters, and this one could not score, so that's why it made me think that he is still a youngster.
I think that he knew that I was watching him, and to save face, he decided to depart.
I have told you before that originally there were 10 goslings left. Then one by one some started to disappear, as at first the count dropped to 9 when they were much smaller, then a few days later to 8 and now there are 7 left. The bigger that they get, the better their chances of survival, and so we keep an eye on them. Problem is that there are many predators at night and raptor birds during the early morning hours. For some reason the dad is gone, and they only have the mom to protect them.
A funny thing happened, as on another farm we saw an Egyptian goose in a chicken cage, and as it was a male, my wife thought that it might be the dad of this lot. So, she went to the farm manager to ask if the male goose was caught recently. No, the manager said and she told my wife that the goose thinks that he is a chicken, as he was adopted when he was a small orphan and he grew up with the chickens.
Don't believe me? See for yourself as the cage gate was opened and all of the chickens plus the goose chicken were walking around in the open.
Here the goose chicken is, and I don't think that he knows he can fly.
So, it is another week gone, and soon it will be Christmas. This was a very tough year for many of us, and we can only hope that the new year will be kinder to us all. This is the first day of the last month, and we know how quickly December can fly by. So, for those that are on holiday we hope that you will all enjoy the rest.
I hope that you enjoyed the story and the pictures.
Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon Powershot SX70HS Bridge camera.
Thank you kindly for supporting this post.