Migration Of Birds: The Canada Goose (1959)

move from one place to this per is called migration among the migrating birds familiar than the Canada Goose here comes a flock of Canada geese the wild goose is one of the first Birds to leave its winter quarters its northward movements keep Pace with the advance of spring these geese have come to the end of their long adequate space to raise young many kinds of birds make these migration flights from one location to another studies and projects such as banding the legs of individual birs have revealed that the Canada Goose and other migrating birds usually take the same migration routes each year these paths are called flyways the Atlantic Flyway follows the coastline the Mississippi with no mountains and few other natural obstructions is the route taken by most birds the central follows the foothills of the Rocky Mountains the Pacific Flyway follows the western coastline the wintering places are quite distinct from each other but the Northern parts of these flyways where most nesting is done over overlap this block of geese has just returned to its breeding grounds in southern Canada from the Gulf of Mexico others make their homes as far north as the Arctic Circle this was the flock leader during the long flight he has made many such trips male goose is called a gander while the female is called a goose they live about 9 years years Canada geese mate for life often they nest on Islands these two have built several nests before their nest is near the water where it will be easy to get food where there is some protection from enemies The Nest is a mound of grass Reeds twigs and is lined with down the down helps to keep the eggs warm these eggs will hatch in 28 to 30 days while the goose stays on the eggs the gander hunts for food he is never far away because there are many animals that may Rob The Nest animals like the skunk the badger and the fox all enjoy a meal of goose eggs when an animal comes too close to the nest as this fox is doing the goose sounds the danger note to the G ER who is instantly [Music] [Music] alert their highly developed sense of sight and acute sense of hearing these birds are able to detect most enemies a month has passed since the eggs were laid the gander guards The Nest while the goose protects her newborn brood baby geese are called goslings their bodies are covered with soft down soon the goose and G lead the goslings to the water for their first swim all the while they keep a sharp lookout for enemies goslings can swim from the time they are hatched the goslings are shown which seeds grasses and water plants to eat and good things under the water plant roots and Tiny water animals provide excellent food for the goslings this little goling swims out to deeper water the goose does not see him go she is too busy watching the other goslings there are other birds about and some are enemies of the Canada Goose the goling senses danger and when the hawk Dives the gausling Dives too geese can swim under water Hawks cannot the goling comes back up for air again the hawk Dives and again the goling seeks the protective cover of water the gander comes to the rescue the other goslings are hurried into the water for protection the lone goling swims back as fast as his feet can paddle by now the gander has driven away the hawk and all are safe once again the goslings are growing fast soon their bodies will be covered with true feathers now the goslings are 6 weeks old they look very much like their parents they have learned what foods are best to eat now it is time to test their wings off they go following the gander's example they can only only learn to fly by trying each day the young geese fly farther and farther the day is coming when they will have to fly tirelessly for long distances now it is fall leaves have changed color and the air is becoming colder soon snow and ice will cover much of the bird's food sources with winter closing in the geese assemble from all directions when birds come together this way they are said to be flocking the young geese with the goose and Gander leave to join their flock some Instinct seems to bring them together for the day of the Fall migration here photographed in slow motion the flight begins soon the air is filled with Geese on their way to a region where there is more [Music] food in the air the group first assembles into an orderly pattern for the long flight of a thousand miles or more the leader instinctively guides the way day or night at speeds of 30 to 50 m an hour they stop only to eat and rest sometimes the flocks are so large they look like clouds geese usually stop Flying at night they sometimes find protection in Wildlife Refuge areas when morning comes they are on their way again the leader finds many grain fields on the way the fields have much waste grain and stubble from the big fall harvests sometimes they rest for one or several days before continuing the flight geese usually fly in a wedge-like formation like a V but sometimes they string out in single file if sudden storms come up or fog blocks their way the geese fly lower and closer together if the weather gets too severe during the day and forces the flock to stop they may fly at night to make up time enemy that geese must always be on the alert for during the fall migration is the Hunter and his decoys geese will not land where they can see people and these Hunters have been spotted the leader keeps his flock flying on at last they reach the Gulf of Mexico this particular flock spends the winter months in this region Others May winter as far north as Virginia here photographed in slow motion birds are landing near the gulf food is plentiful in this mild winter [Music] climate in this film we have seen some of the migrating habits of Canada geese many gaps still remain in our knowledge of bird migration these uncertainties help to make Ornithology the study of birds a fascinating [Music] subject perhaps someday through further studies we will know more of the mysteries of why birds migrate [Music]