Everyone has their own story as to when, where and how their love affair with nature began. For me it started with books. I wasn't a very (shall we say) rewarded student in public school; I couldn't quite seem to figure out how to meet the expectations of teachers and peers. It was books like Wild Goose, Brother Goose by Mel Ellis that ignited my sense of place in the world. "Tonight I heard the wild goose cry Winging north in the lonely sky...Wild goose, brother goose, which is best A wandrin' foot or a heart at rest?" -Cry of the Wild Goose. I was taken, there began my journey.
When traveling between Vernon and Brattleboro, you will pass by two setbacks from the CT River. These flooded areas, created by the building of the Vernon Dam in 1908, have become populated with a good variety of waterfowl and on any given day birders will be perched with their spotting scopes trained to them.
For the longest time I thought that it was just me that had a love affair with a particular pair of Canada Geese that often preened near the side of the road; and much to my concern, frequently wandered over route 142 to the drainage pond on the opposite side. It was when a community member posted on social media their heartbreak over one of the pair being struck and killed by a car and the subsequent public outpouring of grief, that I realized this particular pair of wild geese had touched the hearts of many more Vernonites than myself. Given that folklore says that Canada geese mate for life, this accident seemed particularly sad.
In the Waterfowl Population Status 2019 - US Fish and Wildlife, there are fifteen different Canada Goose populations listed in the 2019 Primary Monitoring Survey for an estimated total population of 8,134 with each bird representing 1000 birds. Ducks Unlimited sites a much greater number including 7 subspecies. Vermont Fish and Wildlife 2019 resident Canada Goose hunting season permitted bagging 5 resident Canada Geese in the Connecticut River Zone during the first season and in the second season 2 migrating and resident geese per day in the CT River Zone.
Seemingly there are plenty of Canada geese out there, So why one particular pair of geese captured the hearts and imaginations of a small southeastern town in Vermont I can't clearly explain. Perhaps my neighbors are like myself and somehow that pair awakened a sense of place in an often challenging world. -Norma Manning
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| A pair of Canada Geese heads east from the Vernon setback along rout 142 |
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| Northern nesting geese are smaller and darker than those nesting out west - Ducks Unlimited |
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| The average males weigh 3 to 13 pounds with females weighing 3 to 11 pounds |
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| Looking southeast from 142 on the Vernon setback |
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| I wrote my name throughout my copy of Wild Goose Brother Goose |
