While hanging out at Smith WA, Kossuth Co. today, I spotted the
strangest Canada Goose nest location that I've ever seen or heard of.
There are others' images online of goose pairs nesting on stumps, but
this is beyond all normal stumps. First, the location: stump nests are
normally in or adjacent to standing water. This nest is 100 yds or so
away from oxbow water in the middle of deciduous woods. Search Smith
Wildlife Area, Algona on Google Earth. There are photos posted (not
mine) of the Sugar Shack and a sap bucket. This is the location I was at
today. If the spot given for those photos is correct on the map, and it
looks pretty good, the stump nest is another 50 yds to the west, farther
into the woods. Second, the stump itself. This isn't just a stump, it's
the standing trunk of a broken-off mature deciduous tree, with the nest
(at first guess) up at about 30 ft or better in the air. There's no
branches, just a huge pole still 2 ft across at the top. These geese are
nesting at canopy level!
During the 6 hours or so while I was there, both adults stayed at their
positions on the nest and standing guard on the rim. Neither men passing
below the nest before it was discovered, nor a couple groups of 50 noisy
4th graders passing on the trail 20 yds away, seemed to bother the pair.
I would have relished seeing an exit and return to the nest, especially
the return, as sticking that landing should be quite the sight!
Hopefully Sat (after the @#$%), I can get back there and find out what
kind of shots I can get with my laughable point-and-shoot. There's a
steep hill right behind the nest that gives great views of the adult on
the nest, but I'm not sure how to get shots of the whole tree from the
front to convey the height while still being able to see the male on guard.
Both Kinglets and a Creeper were around today, but nobody's seen
Bluebirds down there yet.
Matthew Kenne
Algona, Iowa
mke...@netamumail.com
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