Feeding out

The hunter's front pond is home to a gaggle (is that the correct word?) of Canadian geese.

One of his neighbour runs the Selwyn District animal pound. Several years ago baby geese were left with him. They survived and since the hunter has a couple of ponds they came to live on the home (front) pond.

"They're my mates" says the hunter. They don't fly away and happily honk and at times chase the ducks and other birds that come to feed. Last spring one egg survived hawks, eels, ferrets, rats and whatever other predators lurk to produce another gander. He's the only one who flies. Occasionally he takes off and circles around the house before landing back by the pond.

I'm always wary of the big older gander. He's got attidute but he's more interested in taking a piece out of the hunter ;-) He ignored me here and I could almost reach out and touch him. But when the hunter the wings and neck went to full stretch. Must be a male thing.

There are also ducks with varying degrees of wildness. Some come and go, others choose to stay and are also regarded as mates. They eat whatever they eat around the pond plus they're fed grain.

The geese and less wild ducks are off the menu ("they're my mates!"). The hunter only shoots to put food on the table. The home pond is shot on the opening day of the duck season. This year he didn't shoot the back pond.

I asked him about the back pond a couple of weeks ago. Having decided he had enough ducks in the freezer for the year all the ducks on the back pond have attained mate status. "They're my mates!" he exclaimed as if I'd asked a mad question.

Sometimes the hunter is perplexing ;-)