Mama goose watches over her eggs Tuesday at Ashley Pond. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

County Animal Control has placed a goose house over Ed’s and mama goose’s eggs to help protect them from predators at Ashley Pond. The public is asked to keep their distance and not leave lettuce around or in the house. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

BY KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

Some may assume that a pond in the middle of town is stagnant or at least entrenched in an uninterrupted cycle: the weather cools, then chills, making the grass turn brown and the pond freeze before the temperatures rise, the water thaws and all the plants burst with new blooms. And on and on it goes …

But that isn’t always the case. Take Ashley Pond, for instance; something new is coming to this urban park.

Senior Animal Control Officer Theresa Phelan first noticed a difference in the spring and summer of 2023. A white female goose and a brown male goose joined Ed the goose and three male ducks to reside at Ashley Pond. Phelan said at that point both the brown male and female goose were just goslings; they still had their downy coats, so she took them to her home.

She said the goslings took their first swim in her bathtub before advancing on to her daughter’s kiddie pool. Phelan said she cared for the geese for approximately two months before they were returned to the pond. The brown goose met an untimely end, but Ed and the female goose have  a far happier story: earlier this year she laid eggs.

According to Phelan, this is the first time geese have laid eggs at the pond and since the female goose, which is probably a year old, is first time mother, “I figure I am learning a lot along with her.”

As a result, Phelan keeps a watchful eye on the new parents and their eggs. She checks on them daily.

“Their welfare is our best interest,” Phelan said.

When she noticed that four of the eggs had been eaten by some predator, a dog igloo was erected around the nest and when bits of lettuce were spotted near the shelter, a small construction fence was installed. These precautions were taken, Phelan explained, because there is a concern if the female doesn’t feel safe, she will abandon the nest.

The measures seem to be successful, Phelan said when she checked on the igloo Sunday and Monday, the mother was sitting on the nest, which has approximately seven eggs. Phelan said it could be a month or longer till the newborns make their appearance.

The community will be able to watch the goslings grow up, she said.

“The plan is to let nature take its course and let her (the female goose) raise them to be aware of natural predators at the pond,” Phelan said.

The geese are self-reliant; the pond provides everything they need, she added.

“They have everything that they need,” Phelan said. “We don’t have to provide them anything.”

However, she emphasizes that the public should be aware of the geese and their young, especially with all the events at the pond approaching.

“With the summer concerts, we would like the public to be aware of them … we are not quite sure how they will react,” she said. “They could be a little nippier.”

The female and Ed will be protective of their young, which means they may chase or nip at people who wonder too close to them or their babies, Phelan said.

As someone who has received nips on her pant legs from Ed, Phelan said this could be traumatizing for young children. She also warns that if people run from Ed, he tends to chase after them.

Phelan said people have been doing good with the geese, park visitors have stopped feeding the She said it’s a mystery how the three male ducks came to reside at the pond, adding that they   are fully capable of flying. At one point there was also a female duck, but she disappeared; what became of her is unknown.

Phelan has a lengthy career in animal control but dealing with geese and ducks and other wildlife around Ashley Pond is a new experience, she said.

“I have been an animal control officer for over 12 years, and I have mainly worked with domesticated dogs and cats … it’s a lot of fun taking care of wildlife,” Phelan said. “I am excited to be a grandma and I really do have a love for them and making sure they are healthy.”