Tweets,

This fall I observed the behavior of a Canada Goose that was new to me, and
struck me as kinda odd. The bird would "sneak" away whenever it detected my
presence. It would swim in a fairly straight line, not fast, neck
outstretched and mostly submerged--so much so that the water would often
flow up and over its "shoulders", which was the least submerged part of the
body. The head would often be submerged or partly so. If I did not keep an
eye on it, it would disappear on the opposite shore where there was
seemingly little place to hide. When I did track its retreat, I saw it lie
flat to the ground behind whatever cover was available. This bird was
solitary, and when other geese happened onto the pond it would not associate
with them. (I believe these instances involved a different subspecies.) I
thought the bird might be wounded, since it never flew. Try as I might, it
was nearly impossible to sneak up on it unawares. From the feathers I found
on shore one day (surprisingly small amount), it appears it was finally
taken by a predator or poached by hunters, unless it succumbed to whatever
wounds it might have carried.

Any thoughts?

Paul Hicks
Tenino
phicks AT accessgrace.org