This bonded pair of Canada geese were raising their young at a farm pond. They occasionally will nest in an old osprey nest or on a ledge. Generally, though, they build their nests on the ground. The average clutch is anywhere from four to ten young, so this pair with only two is not the norm. It may be that there were more siblings that fell to predation.
You can't sneak up on geese - which is why hunters will use blinds and decoys and stay put. When I arrived at the pond, this pair had already seen me coming and were in the process of ushering their young to the other side of the pond. I didn't have enough time to make adjustments to the camera and fired off a few frames, called "grab shots" by photographers. It is a shot you don't want to miss, but on which you would spend more time composing - if you had the time. You always hope that you will get a second chance after you are all set up.
As it turned out, I didn't get another chance. The main problem with this photo is the film speed was too slow, and it suffers from some blurring of movement (especially in the heads). If it had not been for that, I think this would have been a wonderful family shot - despite them swimming away from the camera. I always marvel at the swirls of water in the foreground and reflected trees in the background that look more like a painting than a photograph.
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