The Geese Have Hatched

I really need a camera with some zoom.



There between the two geese are about 10 baby geese. Gooselings, gooselets, whatever.

Apollo Before and After

The top photo is of Apollo taken by the tractor in the summer of 2008. The second photo I took of Apollo today (2/26/2009) behind the barn. That's Artemis in front of him. The top photo is clearer because I took it with my camera, the other I took with my phone. But you can see how much bigger his tail is.

This will be Apollo's first real tail. Last year he grew 7 eye feathers. I can't begin to count his eye feathers this year. I will get to count them in the fall when he sheds them. Then next year he will grow an even better tail.

I could watch Apollo all day. Apparently I'm the only one, all the "girls" at the barn walk right past him when he's strutting his stuff. Last year I was so excited when his eye feathers showed up. I didn't know he was too young to grow a full tail.

I might try to hatch a few of their eggs this year. Last year they were too young to really make fertile eggs and I never saw them mating. I will only try to hatch the eggs if I see them mating. I hope it is more "romantic" than chicken sex.