Growing Pains: The luckiest dreamers who never quit dreaming, and also weren't eaten by seagulls.

The goose babies are growing older! They've entered their awkward teenager phase, and they look just as gangly and rumpled as any other adolescent...

At this phase, just like human teenagers, some embarrasing anatomical secrets are showing--in the picture below you can see the ear opening (which is usually covered over by feathers).

I wouldn't be surprised if their voices cracked too...

This baby is showing off a very sassy wing position. Barbeque sauce sold separately.

Also like human teens, the babies are developing at different rates. This one has a fully grown in tail, but the wing feathers of a child:

...while this baby's tail is still growing in, but the primaries (those not-very-visible white lines on its side) seem to be going strong, and on its face you can see the goose equivalent of peach fuzz--the developing white chinstrap. AWKWARD!

Also like middle schoolers, they hang out in giant cliques.



And to finish off the baby update, here's a cast member of Ducks: the next generation

Sunset Discoveries

Just a little loop around the lake. Lots of blooming things:


A little wasp nest at the entry to the sensory garden:

The sun was getting low by the time we reached the other side of the lake:

Great blue heron out hunting:


And the goose family co-op, silhouetted against the city:
Last time we counted 33 goslings and 8 adults. This time 30 goslings and 6 adults. look at them all in a line!


And I think these might be the ducklings formerly of The Duckling Pile. They're bigger now, but see how long their tails look? I think that's because their primaries haven't grown in yet. Also, the center duck is lighter than the others, just as it was as a duckling.

Ultimate Fluff Parade

I thought there were a lot of geese around before, but MAN! Tom and I stumbled upon the opposite of an elephant graveyard: a gosling nursery! We counted 33 goslings total! So many we couldn't even get them all in the frame. How many can you find in this picture?

Here they are grazing happily:

But when they notice people getting too close, they run to mom for safety. "Mom! Hide us under your wing! We want to cuddle!"

"And also we'd like to use your back as a slide!"