All 14 of my lovely geese are doing well, including “daddy” of much of the flock, Seb, at age 18 or so.

What’s different this year is the lack of goslings. I don’t know why, because my girls laid lots of eggs that I know were fertilized, and sat on them, too.

I miss watching the goslings grow to gangly teens and full-fledged geese.

My Finny, the best and friendliest of them all, is still a loving gander. As soon as I go outside, he comes up to me to play with my hair. His brother, Shamus, is not so friendly.

Now in late summer, the flock is let out in the morning to graze. Fencing the garden has made a big difference. I no longer have to try to keep them out.

When I’m in the garden weeding, Finny and some of the others post themselves outside, knowing I will toss some delicious green tidbits their way.

In a few short weeks after the garden is harvested, I will open the gate and let the flock in. They will enjoy eating all the greens left from harvest.

Soon it will be time to replace the old hay from the goose coop, not that they use it much. My flock uses the tried and true methods of their wild ancestors to keep warm: they sit in the snow, bury their feet in their fleece and bury their beaks in their wing feathers.

Perhaps my girls will hatch a new generation of goslings next spring. I hope so. It is so much fun to watch them mature.

I think back to when I bought my first geese. They so impressed me with their intelligence and beauty. When Finny hatched and I raised him in a box atop a dresser in our bedroom because his mother kicked him out of the nest, the joy was greatly increased. He’s been my friend, my follower and a wonderful creature to watch.

A flock of 14 geese raised by Eileen Adams in East Wilton are thriving, but for some reason they have not produced any goslings this year. (Eileen Adams photo)

A flock of 14 geese raised by Eileen Adams in East Wilton are thriving, but for some reason they have not produced any goslings this year. (Eileen Adams photo)

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