LIFE BEGINS

On a recent fishing trip to a pond, my kids and I discovered several Canada goose nests.  This particular pond had at least a half-dozen different nests with evidence of several others that had been destroyed or abandoned.  The eggs will soon hatch and fat little bundles of yellow fuzz will emerge.  But they mature quickly and in a matter of a few short weeks they'll transform into carbon copies of the adults. 

These sights, once rare in Kansas, are now quite common.  Resident (the ones that stay year-round) and winter goose populations are increasing in many locations.  Personally, I love to see and hear Canada geese, even when I'm not hunting them.  To me they symbolize all that's natural about our state.  I can watch them out my window at work and they frequently fly over my house.

But not all Kansans share my adoration of these waterfowl.  Some despise them as they can make a mess of sidewalks and yards and in some cases cause crop damage.  Even within a housing development, where geese often hang around a pond, feelings differ.  One home owner enjoys them and even feeds them while the guy next door would just as soon they all die.  I guess that's human nature and a matter of perspective.