I've been discussing with Urban Naturalist (who promises a blog any minute now...) the dopiness of the half-dozen or so Brant geese who haven't flown north yet. Actually, until two weeks ago there were about 30 still here, I guess because we had such a cold spring. But now all but these few are gone, and we've been thinking there won't be any nesting sites left when they get back to, like, Alaska and British Columbia, where they come from. Well, they're not going to need them. This morning on the river, here came a pair, mom in front, dad behind, four goslings in between, paddling like crazy. They swam over to the pilings for a moss breakfast. The other four adults stayed with them -- these are real colony birds; they don't like to be alone -- but at a safe distance, since mom and dad straightened their necks and swam toward any other goose getting too close. Now, I don't know what's going to happen when it gets to be 90 degrees for weeks on end around here. I suppose if there's enough to eat, they'll all be okay, though they won't be comfortable. And we'll see what happens next spring, whether this is a permanent little colony down here on the lower Hudson. And we'll also see how the three pairs of Canada geese feel about it. But these little guys sure were adorable, and a big surprise.