Our goslings are flying! Well, sort of...they make it about one foot off the ground for a few yards...but technically, it IS flying...

Early flight (20th October 2008)...

Which is a good thing, because those attacks by their father (or imposter, whatever he may be) are not letting up...The chase is now on, in the air and on land.

It's difficult to describe how vicious these attacks on the young goslings are. For a start, the adult goose is a much heavier, more powerful bird (that can also fly properly). What makes it worse is that the adults are still meant to be protecting the goslings, not trying to harm them or chase them away...not yet...let them get a bit older first... This series of pictures tells the story better than words:

The adult goose's attacks are becoming more and more brutal...

And even though the embattled gosling tries to escape...

Its attacker does not relent...

A particularly nasty peck!

The mother goose then pitches up and immediately tries to intervene...

The mother chases the male goose who's chasing the gosling...

Until eventually, amidst much noisy scolding from the mother, the male goose finally pulls back and lets the traumatized gosling escape...at least until next time...

It's exhausting just following this saga, isn't it?

Find me elsewhere on the web:

Dezine Design Creative Hub | My Art & Photos on Gifts & Apparel | Fine Art & Photo Prints |

African Environmental Film Foundation