CACKLING COUPLE

More than 5 million breeding pairs now inhabit North America

According to the Vassar College Gall Lab, the Canada goose “has an intricate system of vocal communication and their repertoire includes 13 different calls for adults. The types of call include Honking, Hucka, Snore and Cackle . . . The ‘honk’ call of the Canada goose is used variously to ward off intruders, advertise territory boundaries, as a long distance call, to answer a mate, as part of a greeting ceremony after being separated from a mate, and when in flight or about to take flight. Calls and vocalizations in general are more frequent during spring when pairs of geese are nesting and defending territory,” as seems to be the case in these pictures. Honk! Honk!