A micro-dictatorship

By Robin Rhee

I feel fortunate that my house overlooks a large pond. In the middle of the pond sits an island which accommodates a gazebo, surrounded by a lawn. It is accessible via a decorative footbridge and during even the hottest days in summer there is a cool breeze.

On the opposite shore from my house there is a thick hedgerow which marks the boundary of an old farm which now lies fallow.

During the winter months the pond is frozen and seemingly deserted but with the advent of spring it comes alive.

Squirrels run about in search of food. Kingfishers sit on tall branches, and then dive headlong into the pond to catch tiny fish. Solitary blue herons wade along the pond’s perimeter in hopes of catching a tasty fish meal and bullfrogs begin their symphony which lasts long after dark.

Perhaps the most notable and most reviled inhabitants are the Canadian geese which arrive in great numbers in search of prime nesting sites. The black and white markings on their 20-pound bodies make them pleasant to look at but they eat upwards of a pound a day of grass from lawns and leave piles of green excrement everywhere.

They are protected by law but our neighborhood has government permission to shake the eggs in their nests to keep them from hatching.

Geese mate for life, a commendable trait in this era of rampant human divorces.

But it is the lives of the alpha gander and his wife which return to the island each year to nest which is absolutely fascinating.

It all begins when the alpha male flies to the roof of the gazebo or to the rooftop of a neighboring house, flaps his wings and continuously and raucously honks.

I’m no expert on the innuendos of ``goose-speak” but some of the meanings of his honking are quite obvious.

When geese threaten to invade his small dictatorship he first honks a warning to back off. His body language implies that if he were able to order an artillery strike, drop bombs or launch missiles he would.

Barring those options, if the unwanted intruders stand firm he partially spreads his wings, stretches his neck parallel to the ground, does some louder honking and takes off running in pursuit.

When there are no threats, he and his mate make chortling sounds as they go about their nesting routines, unaware that their eggs have been shaken and will never hatch.

In early summer geese which have nested elsewhere bring their goslings to the pond for their first swim and for whatever reasons the alpha pair tolerate their presence.

The goslings grow into awkward teenagers, still covered in their brown feathers, until one day the dictator flies once more to the highest points in the neighborhood and begins some ear-splitting honking.

Miraculously pairs of geese appear around the pond with their children. The teenagers take to the water while their parents settle down to watch. Next the alpha pair slip into the water and boot camp ― or indoctrination ― begins.

With the male taking the lead and his mate bringing up the rear, the youngsters get training in swimming in a straight line. There are always a few rebels who swim to the beat of a different drummer but the alpha female scolds and chases them back into line.

This takes place several times a day over a period of weeks. During this time the youngsters’ brown feathers are replaced by the unmistakable feathers of the adults and then it’s time for different training.

This time it’s a liftoff into the sky to learn to fly in the perfect V which will be seen as the flock ultimately sets a southern course to spend the winter.

This fall, however, the alpha male strutted, honked, flapped his wings and fluffed out the feathers on his chest but none of the geese answered his call. Day after day he tried to summon his followers, but to no avail. And then he was gone and the pond was quiet.

I wonder if a new small dictator will rule the pond next year. Whatever the case, dictators rise and fall, for as Winston Churchill once wrote, ``Dictators ride to and fro upon tigers which they dare not dismount. And the tigers are getting hungry.”

The writer is a former weekly columnist for The Korea Times and currently resides in Centerville, Ohio. She can be reached at RRKORAM@aol.com.