I have missed my Sunday update of the goslings progress into the world. They are about 6 weeks old now and nearly half the size of the adults. Here is the first image of them taken in the barn just after hatching. And again at 2.5 weeks old. Here is last week's image of them. Their feathers are just starting to come in and they look like gangly teenagers, growing into their bodies. The funny thing is that you expect them to have the voice of an adult almost as they are so large. Instead, they have the same little baby peeping voices that they did as hatchlings. It makes me laugh each time I hear them. The photo was taken on Sunday, I just haven't had time to get it uploaded til today. Its been one of those weeks.
Here they are striding across the yard with Lucy, their mother. The goslings don't have names as of yet, but should. They are very similar in looks, one being just a little more yellow than the other. Its near impossible for me to tell the sex of them just by looking at them at this stage. That usually happens as they get older and the male geese are a little larger with deeper voices than the females and in the case of this breed, Chinese brown geese, by the knob on their head as they get older.
Four of the stock geese were sold and travelled to King's Point in Western Newfoundland. It was a six hour drive to transport them there, but the man who bought them did telephone and report that they made the journey unscathed, if not a little pissed off at the indignity of being in a crate for so long.
He asked if we wanted four peachicks. I haven't had any experience with peacocks personally, but remember people that I knew in England having them wandering estates for show. They are magnificent birds - at least the males - but they are also very noisy with piercing calls. Just as well we don't have neighbours. I'm still mulling over whether I want peachicks or not.
One of the reference images for the All Media Art Event was a peacock. I love the brilliant turquoise irridescence of the feathers and the elegance of the bird, so I had to paint it. Watercolour in my sketchbook.Technorati tags: goslings, geese, chinese brown geese, peacock, peachicks, art, watercolour
2 comments:
I can't believe how much those goslings have grown in a week. Last week they still looked like babies. This week like miniature adults. Wow. Next week they will probably be the mom's size.
Thanks for sharing their growth. Jeanne "J"
Yes, they are growing fast now. Its amazing just how quickly a diet of weeds and grass and stolen green beans from the veggie garden works! :o)
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