Canada geese are a pretty common site in Great Parks. Lots of lakes and greenspace provide a perfect spot for these large gray-bodied birds to raise their young. But the geese aren’t completely protected, and still have to be on the watch against cars, people, predators and other dangers.

Each spring, Canada geese break into pairs and mate. The couples will find a spot on the ground to make their nest, lining it with down feathers, grass clippings, straw, sticks and any other debris available. Geese have been known to nest on just about any type of terrain from parking lot islands to the underlying canopy of a pine tree in the woods. So, it came as a surprise to me when a fellow Winton Woods Operations employee reported seeing a Canada goose nest at the top of a broken tree nearly 30 feet off of the ground on Lakeview Drive! The proud mother was perched high atop her broken tree of a nest quietly watching the patrons drive up and down Lakeview while she patiently awaited the incubation of her young.

Maybe this mother-to-be had the keen sense to build her nest out of the reach of predators, or perhaps it was just blind luck that she chose such a strategic spot to build her nest. Either way, I’ll chalk it up to nature always finding a way to amaze!

Steven Ohl, Assistant Park Manager, Winton Woods