Canada geese over Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The photographs were taken only seconds apart. The color difference occurred because the first photo included crisp blue sky directly overhead; the second shot was aimed closer to the murkier horizon.
Canada geese over Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The photographs were taken only seconds apart. The color difference occurred because the first photo included crisp blue sky directly overhead; the second shot was aimed closer to the murkier horizon.
These photographs capture the image of a group of six Canada Geese flying southward over Myrtle Beach during the late afternoon today. They were probably just making a local move, from pond to pond.
Canada geese (Branta canadensis) have become a significant presence along the Grand Strand of South Carolina. In years gone by, they were migratory birds, but increasingly they seem to be year-round residents. (I can identify with that impulse!)
In their migratory pattern, Canada Geese tend to choose a mate on their winter southern trip, then remain monogamous for the following spring mating season, or even for life. So these visitors are like many of their human counterparts, who find South Carolina's Grand Strand a very romantic place!
For those Canada Geese who do stay in coastal South Carolina to raise their young, rather than flying back north, there are the many usual difficulties of protecting the eggs and goslings from predators. One additional local threat is seagulls, who are reported to view goose eggs as a food source.
Canada Geese are noted for their V-shaped and diagonal flight patterns, which occur because the birds find it aerodynamically efficient: each bird is flying in the slipstream of the bird ahead of it.
How do you identify a Canada Goose? Simply ask it where it's from, and it will reply in a nasal voice, “Kee-BECK, Kee-BECK!” (Pardon, I couldn't resist — it's a joke I heard in my youth.)
This guide to Myrtle Beach is sponsored by Mitchells Publications.
Copyright © 2009 Patricia B. Mitchell.