HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1976-11-18, Page 11• 34 ;.; c 1' 0 9 b 7 u
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129 YEAI ' 47
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1976'
SECOND SECTION .
Some of Brace's 100 geese feed on corn beside the pond: He thousands wild • Canadas stop at his farm during their ..
has 70 giants and 30 ordinary Canadas, and as well, several migration south.
Bruce feeds corn to his geese, while in the foreground is one of his older swans.
He receives no payment for feeding the wild birds, who also come every fall.
Photos and story
by Elaine Townshend
r*
' With these hydraulic rams that Bruce. calls "almost antiques", he hopes to
keep the pond ipen this winter. The rams constantlypump water Into the pond.
They should be able to push water as high as 100 feet. „•
Bruce and .Grace •McClinchey watch the return of a flock of geese to their
sanctuary. Several thousands geese stopover every year.
Goderic Township sanctuary attracts
sands �# geese
9'.
Between now and the end of
November, seldom a day will pass
that Bruce' and Grace McClinchey of
_RR 2, Goderich, won't see -a flock of
wild Canada Geese land on the pond
behind their house.
"It's beautiful to watch them
landing," Bruce smiles. "They all
land the same way, feet up, skiing
in. You'd swear they were on skis,
the way they settle' down on the
water." •
His own flock numbers 100 this
year, including 30 ordinary Canadas
and 70 Giants. The Giants are
distinctive because of their Targe
size. Some weigh as much as 20
pounds and have wing -spans of 6
feet. Their white foreheads are also
characteristic. markings.
In -1950, Bruce bought\his first pair.
of Canada Geese from Rondeau
Provincial Park for $5 each, 170
geese is the largest flock he has
owned, and each fall . his geese are
joined •by about 600 wild ones.
In addition, he raises swans and
peacocks, but he had misfortune
with them this year. Recently he
found a dead peacock, which he
.suspects one of -the swans killed.
In the -spring, one, of his female
swans hatched eight eggs, but two of
the'c,ygnets were killed by the older
swans. The others seemed healthy
until a. few weeks ago they became
thin; now all are dead but one: The
cause was diagnosed as lice, and
Bruce is now treating': the lone
survivor in an attempt to save its
life. His flock has thus dwindled to•
four peacocks, four older swans and
one cygnet.
The geese seem easier to raise. He
has sold a few, and the fast sale sent
a pair of Giants to a man living near.
Ottawa: Any money that Bruce
gains from the sale of'geese is put
into improvements -tor the others.
For example, three years ago he
financed the construction of a pond,
that. measures. 300 feet by 100 feet
and is 15 feet deep,
This summer he deviseda scheme
thathe hopes will keep the pond open
during the winter. He and two other
local men, Lloyd Sowerby and Ken
Mutzelburg, : Installed three
'hydraulic rams and laid pipe un-
derground. They used a canoe to
insert the upright pipe into the pond.
Grace regalis watching the
procedure. "The canoe looked pretty
shaky,but, it •didn'tseem to bother
them,." she.,4eughs.
Initially -Bruce used plastic pipe.
However, he learned that steel pipe
increases the rams' pumping speed,
and he is now changing the system.
With plastic pipe, the rams operate.,
at 22 strokes per minute, whilewith
steel, they run at 59 strokes a
minute. •
The height of the fall dictates the
height and amount of water that. the
rams can pump. According to a book
Bruce Studied, the five feet of fall he
provided should enable him to push
water as high as 1001eet.
"I haven't tried it yet," he adds,
"but I plan to experiment."
Although the rams are almost
antiques, they function. efficiently
pumping a steady flaw of water
through the pond. A nylon hose on
the end of the skein filters the dirt.
During the winter; one of the rams
will also supply water to the barn.
Other methos5s can be used to
prevent a pond from freezing, such
as pumping air into.the water. But
that requires an electric motor and
•means more expense. With his
unique system, Bruce limits' his
maintenance costs. •
Although 600 to 800 geese gobble
up a lot of corn, wheat, and peas,
Bruce. and Grace feel saving the_
geese is worth the expense.- No
shooting is allowed within one
quarter of -a mile of a baited area.
The •two farms flanking. their
property are also posted one is the
home of their son, Ray; the other
belongs to a neighbor, John Hind -
marsh. ,
Every.. year a few geese are shot
by. unscrupulous "hunters. On the
first day of this year's hunting
season, four or five shots were
heard. Bruce thinks the hunters
weren't shooting a4' he geese, but
were hoping to sere them into an
unprotected area. •
"But the geese are too smart for
that," he contends. "They'll just fly
to another posted field."
He noticed one female, though,
that was shot in the back. Her wings
drooped at her sides. She couldn't fly
with the others and just hobbled
around the edge of the pond.
Atter 26 years of studyingCanada
Geese, Bruce has learned a few of..
their habits. Fdr example, a
preference for a certain type of feed
divides them into two groups - grass-
eaters and corn -eaters. During the
third week in September, the grass ..
and _ wheat -eaters arrive followed
around October . 20 by the corn -
eaters. .
He can predict the arrival and
• departure of the geese with amazing
accuracy: If a 'storm is reported in
Northern Ontario, the -geese will
descend on :Mc;Ciincheys' pond in
three`. days. They always take ad-
vantage of a northwest wind. When
the wind changes to southeast, they.
rest in a belted area until it swings to
the northwest again.
They arrive in flocks but leave in
families of 6 to 10. The ones that
were raised together, leave
together.
Bruce has also recovered some
interesting bands from dead geese.
A fernale wore a Jack Miner tag that
bore a Bible verse and was. dated
1964. He believes Jack Miner'abegan
engraving the verses on the bands in
1917 or- 1927, He found another Jack
Miner' band on a gander. Because
the bottom half of the band con-
taining the Bible verse was worn off, -.-
he estimates the bird was about 40
years old.
A different tag bore an address in
Washington D.C: Bruce's.neighbour,
John Hindmarsh,"wrote to the ad
dress and received some data in
return.
Maintaining. a ,baited area for
migratory birds is a hobby that has
fascinated Bruce ' and Grace Mc-
Clinchey.for 26 years. They *share
their interest with niumerous people,
including nursery school 'children
from Goderich who visit the pond
each spring. to see the little ones
being hatched:. Recently, a group of
Senior Citizens watched the geese
flock around Bruce at feeding tirne.
Both Grace and Bruce reiterate that
- everyone is welcome.
At this tirne of the year, visitors
receive a special -treat.. The sky
darkens as hundreds of honking
Canada Geese circle the pond; then,
with wings out -stretched and feet
tucked up the flock settles down on
the water hardly causing a nipple.
As, Bruce. confirms, "It's, a
beautiful sight to see, when the
geese dome in;"
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