A bathing behavior completely new to me.
Like too many people I sometimes pay less attention to Canada Geese than I should. But three days ago when I visited one of my local ponds to see if I could turn up some ‘interesting’ birds the only birds on the water were geese and a few duck hybrids so I just sat there and watched the geese for a while.
1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
In my experience bathing seems to be communal and contagious in Canada Geese so when one of them began to bathe it didn’t take long for several others to join in. On this occasion I probably paid more attention to their technique than I ever had before.
The powerful large wings of geese allows them to fling more water over their bodies than I thought possible for a bird floating high on the surface. It often looked to me like there was at least a half gallon of water flying through the air. If I’m right that would be over 4 pounds of water.
1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
The process of bathing requires very different wing shapes and angles than flight so…
1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
I enjoyed seeing…
1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
all the wing shape variations in my photos.
But on this occasion it wasn’t the wing shapes and angles that interested me most.
1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Suddenly I noticed that one of the geese was turning upside down in the water while it was bathing and soon two other geese began doing it too. It was hard to photograph because they did it sporadically and unpredictably and I always seemed to have my lens pointed at the wrong goose.
I swear that birds get their jollies by faking out the photographer and on this occasion they must have been having a hell of a good time.
1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
I can’t help but wonder if one of the reasons they do this is because it allows them to bring up an unusually large load of water with their wings when they turn upright again. I’m only speculating of course, there could be other reasons.
I wouldn’t swear to it on my copy of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species but I’m pretty darn sure that at least one of these geese did a complete 360, half of it underwater, while I was watching with my naked eye instead of through my lens.
This was the first time I remember seeing a bird of any species turn completely upside down while bathing. And since I witnessed it several times from several birds within a span of just a few minutes I have to wonder if it’s fairly typical behavior for Canada Geese.
I need to pay more attention.
Ron
I would be laughing too hard to take photos!
Gotta admit, it was pretty damned cute April.
Fun to see, isn’t it. I’ve seen this behavior several times from Canada Geese. I couldn’t believe it the first time I saw one flip completely over and do a full summersault. Since then I’ve seen it several times in many places. The interesting thing is that I have only seen it in Canada Geese, never in Cackling Geese. I presume they would do it as well and I’ve just never had the opportunity to see it. I doubt there is any behavioral difference between these species in regard to things like this, but it would be really interesting to know.
Dan, I’ve wondered if it could be culturally learned behavior that relatively few geese perform. Any thoughts?
I don’t think it is too regional. You have seen it there. I have seen it in Oregon in at least three places here in the Willamette Valley, at Klamath Lake in southern Oregon and along the Crooked River in Central Oregon. So it seems to be somewhat widespread. It would be interesting to hear from folks in the central and eastern portions of the country. As I said, I’ve never seen this in Cackling Geese, but cacklers are frequently not so near where people have easy access, such as parks, etc. I see them more on fields or distant ponds so I’ve not had much opportunity to have observed this behavior if it occurs The same is true for me for other geese (Snow, White-fronted, etc.) I just don’t see them in situations where bathing is frequent. Flipping upside-down in the water doesn’t happen often so it would be easy to miss in any kind of geese, but it would sure be interesting to know how widespread this behavior is. And, it would be nice to understand if it serves a purpose or just play. When I have seen it it usually is just one or two birds doing it and not the whole group. Are these first-year birds, older adults, or…? It raises lots of interesting questions. Canada Geese are so common we tend to ignore them, and thus, many of us know less about them than we ought to.
Anthromorphism be damned. I am CERTAIN that birds enjoy their baths and if the opportunity to skunk/confuse a person is added it adds a whole new dimension to that joy.
And, like many of your other commentators, I am very very grateful for a truly delightful start to my day.
Huge thanks to you and to the geese.
Thanks very much, EC. I’ll bet those geese are still talking about the dumb photographer always pointing his lens in the wrong direction.
Not only did your geese make me laugh, but I got a blast from Laura Culley as well. I just read somewhere that we are living proof that human intelligence is evolutionarily dysfunctional. I like Laura’s take on the issue better. Thanks to you both.
Sallie, I’ve lived with a female redtail hawk and other raptors for the last 25 years as of Thursday. They have ‘splained to me in words of one syllable so that I could understand just where we humans belong on the overall scheme of things. ‘Nuff said? LOL!! 😉
“human intelligence is evolutionarily dysfunctional”
I agree with that premise, Sallie. Dysfunctional, counterproductive – they both work for me.
They wanted to give you the butt shot of all butt shots! 😉 And let you play the goose-camera equivalent of Whack-a-Mole.
Those first 4 shots are phenomenal — the lighting, the water spray, the wing positions. I could definitely see them up on a wall as a series.
Thank you, Marty. After that session with the geese I could fill up an entire wall with shots like those four.
That was a delightful way to start my day😆😆😆. Great photos!
Good. Thanks, Kellie.
Hilarious! We will call this the “Dudley Goose Roll“. Sounds as elegant as it looks, don’t you think?
DGR for short… 🙂
WOW– those last 2 images made me laugh out loud ! I had a sudden flash
of Esther Williams ( your younger readers won’t know who that is ) and her
mermaids, toes up, turning a circle underwater, then leaping up with a flourish
of spray– bathing caps held firmly in place by their chinstraps–the geese even
have the “chinstraps” . I’m in awe of the birds’ maneuver–it would be like upending
a floating barrel and completing a 360, end over end. Nature is wonderful to
behold !
Kris, your Esther Williams analogy works well for me but then I was born in the Cambrian…
Several years ago, a group of very young Canada goose goslings entered the water for one of their early attempts at feeding on the bottom vegetation near the shore. They were hilarious with their rolling over forwards, feet over head, and tipping over sideways in their attempts. Several of them retreated from the water as rapidly as possibly after flipping over and not getting something to eat.
These photos make me wonder if those antics were a precursor to the upside down bathing moves you captured.
I don’t believe I have ever notice bathing in Canada Geese but I don’t often focus on what they are doing.
Pam, I’d love to have seen/photographed those goslings doing that!
Well, there goes my learn-something-new-every-day thing! And I haven’t even had a cup of coffee yet! Just when you think you can depend on a species, there they go doing something different you haven’t seen before!
I think you’re right about skunking the photographer, or the falconer for that matter. I call it stupid hawk/raptor/bird/critter games (thanks be to David Letterman). Personally, I don’t see any sport in it. After all, we’re comparatively a laughable species with not a lot of brain power, but there you have it. 😉
“Personally, I don’t see any sport in it”
I agree, Laura. If they wanted a challenge they’d choose a more worthy victim. I’m too easy, especially when I have my camera in my hands.
I briefly lived with a Chinese Brown goose (long story.) He would attempt the upside down maneuver in my tub.
Arwen, some day you and I need to sit down and tell each other our long stories… 🙂
I promise to bring snacks if I can be invited too!
Absolutely, Marty. With the two of us together the language would likely have a salty tang but it would be interesting…
Heck yeah. We should have a Feather Heads coffee klatch.
I’d like that. A lot. 🙂
I have a long series of photos of a large group of Tundra Swans bathing like this, including rolling over…it was joyful to watch!
I’ll bet it was.
WOW! 😳 I’ve never seen any Canada Geese “bathing” let alone upside down in the water! Of course, Canada Geese aren’t really something I observe closely either……😉 That’s a LOT of bird to be doing that maneuver!
“That’s a LOT of bird to be doing that maneuver!”
Well said, Judy.
Ron – what an interesting post. We have hundreds of Canada Geese here all winter and maybe 25 or so now who stay year round. In fourteen years of watching them in our lakes and taking photos of them I have never experienced any of them bathing and definitely not upside down or doing a 360. Those last two are hysterical . Great series of fun photos.
Thanks, Everett. One of my readers just emailed me and said that they’ve seen the upside down bathing in geese ‘more than once’ but so far they’ve been unable to photograph it.
Wonderfully fun post and photos! You DO learn something new everyday. That’s the wonderful thing about wildlife photography you get to spend a lot of time observing and just “being” with other creatures. Marvelous to catch up on a bunch of your blogs finally!!
Sounds like you’ve been doing your Feathered Photography homework, Joanne. 🙂