A Visiting White Goose
1. Visiting Goose.
2. Analysis.
A. General.
B. The location.
C. The Visiting Goose.
D. Long term options.
3. The nature of these reports.
1. Visiting Goose.
Kristen Higgins, a few days ago, let us know about a visiting white goose in the Boston Open Space behind the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. She has joined the Charles River White Geese Page on Face book and shared the visit. Here is her report.
She tells me that she did not see the goose the next day.
2. Analysis.
A. General.
First of all, I strongly appreciate the report and appreciate any and all such input in our area.
I will summarize in the concluding section our organizational situation and ways to contact.
B. The location.
Here is a map of the area cropped from Google Maps.
The remnants of the habitat of the Charles River White Geese is in the upper left corner. The BU Bridge is the first bridge on the Charles River to the right of the left corner. The Destroyed Nesting Area of the Charles River White Geese is to the upper right of the BU Bridge.
Kristen saw the visitor “behind the Museum of Fine Arts.” This is above and slightly to the right of the middle, bottom.
The location where she viewed the visiting goose is the Boston Fens, owned and managed RESPONSIBLY by the City of Boston. The Fens is constructed around the Muddy River. The Muddy river is the center of the Fens. The Muddy River and related parkland starts at the left bottom of our map and runs vaguely diagonally up and to the right. After that, the Muddy River has been buried and moves pretty much down and to the right from the top point to the portion of the Fens where Kristen’s goose was seen. About two thirds of this area is above ground, the balance in pipes,
Kristen saw the goose behind the MFA, as seen on the map.
The Fens moves up and to the right to a point where the Muddy River goes through a series of pipes with ground level appearances, traveling under a major but local highway area to the Charles River.
The Muddy River flows into the Charles a little bit to the left of the bridge on the right, the Mass. Ave. (officially “Harvard” ) Bridge.
When the Charles River White Geese first came to the Charles River in 1981, their habitat went far beyond Magazine Beach at the upper left and extended most of the way on the Cambridge side toward the Mass. Ave. Bridge. They traveled the Charles, going on land to feed. Almost all of that habitat has been ruthlessly destroyed by the Mass. Dept. of Conservation and Recreation with major leadership and sharing work by the City of Cambridge.
Here is a larger blow up and cropping of the same Google Maps presentation, emphasizing the Charles River White Geese.
The big green area to the left is mostly Magazine Beach where the Charles River White Geese spent most of their lives living and feeding until Cambridge and the Cambridge City Council and the DCR started heartlessly starving them. The Destroyed Nesting Area is recognized by Google Maps at the top of and to the right of the BU Bridge. Below I will mention and provide a photo of the cove which is still warm in the worst of winter. It is to the right of the now foodless Destroyed Nesting Area. It is the portion of the river to the right of the DNA. The outcropping to its right is a Boston University Boathouse.
If you closely examine these two maps, you will see a lot of areas I have reported on in these reports. The purpose of this particular report is to report on the visiting goose. I therefore will refrain from providing a tour.
C. The Visiting Goose.
As Kristen comments, she did not see the visiting goose on the next day.
The Fens is well furnished with vegetation of all sorts. There are many places where a visiting goose could seek shelter, including but not limited to vegetation and bridges.
Here is a larger blow up and cropping of the same Google Maps presentation emphasizing the parkland around the Muddy River in this location.
The map shows the system of foot paths which include a lot of bridges and vegetation.
This type of white goose looks like the geese who are dominant among the Charles River White Geese. But the Charles River White Geese have lived on the Charles for more than 40 years. That translates into many generations. Other breeds have been abandoned in the area and intermated, plus the White Geese themselves have birthed animals with vestigial markings who have gone to mate. So while the gaggle still is predominately this variety, there is a great deal of variety.
There are bridges and there are pipes. The Charles River White Geese are strong fliers, but they are practical. Why waste a bunch of energy flying when they can walk there?
It is unlikely that the goose came from the portion of parkland to the left because of the piping between the two. This blow up, however, does better show the very real area to the left of the MFA area which is at surface. That area is reasonable for movement of the goose. I similarly, I cropped to the parkland and the cropping at the top right is exactly at the limits of parkland. As with the area to the left, they would have to fly to get up beyond that point. They do not fly unless necessary.
One explanation for flight in either direction is the presence of and possible attack by predators, dogs or humans. Possible.
The visitor could be a lost member of the gaggle of the Charles River White Geese. Possible, a long shot, but long shots happen. As shown on the first map, the location is a good distance from the area where I would expect to see the gaggle. Not impossible, and the not impossible can happen.
It is also possible that the visitor came from the left. The nearest extensive area in that direction is Jamaica Pond although there is a series of bridges which definitely could allow travel. If any readers are aware of White Geese population in that area, I would be pleased to learn of it. Please contact me at boblat@yahoo.com.
The area within the curve of the Fens is historical apartment buildings at historical scale, not many particularly high, except recent construction on the two streets above the area in the curve are quite large buildings. And there are many older buildings all around the area beyond these limits.
Additionally, there is a fair amount of street parking in the area between the Fens and neighboring streets. Kristen could have been admiring the visitor while the owner of the visitor could have been admiring her.
This last possibility opens up the decidedly not unusual situation of abandonment. As I said, the gaggle of the Charles River White Geese includes abandoned geese who were welcomed into the gaggle.
Ginger’s comment that he “seems lost” probably says this is the situation.
D. Long term options.
In sharp contrast to the situation on the Charles River, the Boston parklands include food, something which has been destroyed by Cambridge and the DCR WITH PLANS FOR FURTHER DESTRUCTION.
On the other hand, the Cambridge side of the Charles River is meaningfully separated from human residences. HUMANS ARE DANGEROUS.
There certainly is the wild possibility that the visitor could fly to the Charles River and join the Charles River White Geese. The very major benefit is that warm cove which probably is related to the presence of the Boston University Boat House.
Here is a photo of the Charles River White Geese in that cove during a recent bitterly cold winter.
This photo was taken from the Memorial Drive sidewalk above the Wild Area which is between the Charles River’s cove and Memorial Drive.
BUT the Cambridge and DCR bureaucrats have plans to destroy the Wild Area, plans that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the third entity involved, have disrupted. MassDOT looks like the adult in the room among the reprehensible Cambridge operatives and the DCR.
Then, there is that much greater proximity in the Fens to humans. It adds the very great risk of human predators who could be dangerous. The Fens is the most visible part of the area of the Muddy River between Jamaica Pond (if that is the Muddy) and the Charles River.
So the future, if any, of the visiting white goose is hard to say. He / she could very easily still be in the area but showing great instinct for survival and keeping as far away from humans as possible.
Since he is friendly and probably abandoned, he would likely, by friend or foe, be amenable to being moved. The DNA has organized feeders, a response to the heartless starvation being inflicted by Cambridge and the DCR. Moving him there as fast as possible would be a good idea.
I understand the Animal Rescue League was called. They would offer him for adoption. I would prefer to get him to the DNA, but that choice would get him away from dog and human predators.
3. The nature of these reports.
These reports are a triad.
The blog reports are the core, the place where it is possible to analyze in detail. But the blog reports are not convenient to make comments.
I do condensations of the blog reports on Facebook and in an email newsletter. Nowadays, the two have the same content, with the very major exception that Face book can be amended should errors be seen or comments seem to be needed. I usually leave the Face book condensations a few days to see if somebody yells, and then sent things out to the email list.
The Charles River White Geese page on Facebook (plus my own page) is where the condensations go and it is relatively simple for comments to be made. This blog has been read by people in 120 countries, and the international reading is about 40% of the distribution. The Face book page is open to people who want to friend it and I accept. My accepting is of major importance because of past experiences with folks who want to do things different from the nature of the page. I screen closely and reject heavily.
But, the Charles River White Geese page on Facebook has a meaningful international component.
Please feel free to offer to friend the Charles River White Geese, but be certain that your home page has content which shows an interest parallels our interests. I look at the individual’s pages very carefully. I do not want a nightmare.
And, frankly I like all kinds of animals and consider interest in dogs and cats parallel to interest in the Charles River White Geese. Friends of the White Geese had a treasurer who was a great bird person. She operated a shelter for small birds in her home. It was lovely. A lot of cages, but lovely.
