CANADA GOOSE
WR

The wild geese come exploding the skies with the music of their arrival. These sounds stop the farmer in the fields and the housewife at her work so they can gaze skyward to watch the majestic birds. The resounding calls tend to make one's hair stand on edge as when Dixie is played by a martial band or the skirling of a regiment of pipers fills the air. Every fall, winter, and spring, they can be seen from Jamestown trading from the sanctuary down river at Hog Island to the vast rye, wheat and corn fields along the upper James River.

Geese, closely related to ducks and swans, are usually found in the same type of habitat. They are migratory birds ranging north to the Arctic Circle in the summer and as far south as Mexico in the winter.

There are thirteen kinds of geese in this country, the best known being Canada, snow and blue in that order. The dominant ones in the Historic Triangle area are the Canadians. They are excellent swimmers and heavy layers of down insulate them against the frigid waters that they frequent. A gland located near their tail produces oil that they rub on their feathers rendering them waterproof.

The Canada goose is the largest of the group ranging in length from thirty-six to forty-three inches. Its head and neck are black with the exception of a prominent white patch extending from the upper side of the head completely under the throat to an equal distance on the opposite side of the head. The rest of the plumage is a brownish gray. Its wingspread is from five to six feet.