Lessons learned from geese

I love Canada geese and have taken many photographs of them. Some say the geese are a nuisance, but I adore their webbed feet and how they waddle when they walk. I admire the line formations geese create when they fly and when they walk across the street.

The car thermometer registered 13 degrees when I spotted the geese near Lake Michigan. I got out of my warm car to take photographs of the geese huddled together in the frigid temperature. Geese will fly away if they feel threatened, so I approached them slowly. I didn’t want to cause the geese to expend the energy they needed to maintain their body temperature. You can see some of the geese stretching their necks, alert to potential risks.

Thirty minutes later, I ran back to my car and blasted the heater to warm up my chilled hands. I was curious how the Canada geese stay warm in this deep freeze. So I went home and Googled it.

Unlike humans, the arteries and veins in a goose are located close enough so that the warm blood flowing away from the heart in the artery will help the blood in the vein before it returns to the heart. To warm up my hands takes more energy because my arteries are required to send the chilled blood all the way back to the my heart to warm up. This amazing adaptation helps keep the Canada geese warm.

Take it or leave it suggestion #9: Learn more about the animals you encounter

Canada Geese are alert to the potential threat. Will the dog chase them?