Midnight Marauders

Posted On April 27, 2025

A Tale of Nature & Life & the Fight for Survival

The pair of Canada geese we’ve nicknamed “Flo & Moe” returned to our Monroe Wildlife Area in late March, shortly after our main pond ice let out.

This would mark approximately the 12th consecutive year that “Flo & Moe” graced our main pond with their nest, though I can’t say with any degree of certainty that this is the same nesting pair we’ve had since the Monroe Wildlife Area was first established.

Flo & Moe were certainly returning to a veritable rogue’s gallery of nest raiders. Over the winter months and into the spring, our Monroe Wildlife Area had harbored a goodly number of villains, including bobcats, raccoons, fisher cats, foxes, owls & coyotes.

Flo & Moe’s 1st order of business, however, upon their return, was establishing pond dominance over our resident turkey flock’s reigning gobblers.

I feed the ducks & geese for a few weeks each spring once the ice lets out to attract nesting pairs to my ponds.

Occasionally my wife and granddaughters Arie Rae & Alayna pitch in & help me.

In addition to Canada geese, we get a variety of waterfowl on our ponds every year, including wood ducks, mallards & hooded mergansers.

Flo & Moe finally chose their site & established their 2025 Monroe Wildlife Area nest during the 2nd week of April. Flo finished laying her eggs and began sitting in earnest on April 12th. We moved a post mounted trail camera over to a nearby spot on the pond bank so that we could track things. Canada geese incubate their eggs for an average of 28 days, which would put Flo on a schedule for her goslings to hatch this year on or about May 10th, which is about a week later than usual.

Things went along nicely at first, with nothing alarming picked up on camera and no adverse incidents. Flo left the nest occasionally to get a bite to eat & stretch her wings.

Moe was by her side 24/7, on the pond, patrolling.

The first warning signs on the horizon appeared in the form of crows. Flocks of them.

While the crows in and of themselves didn’t pose a direct threat to Flo & Moe’s nest, their appearance was foreboding.

The first attempted attack on Floe’s nest came early the following morning, April 19th, in the form of a raccoon. He crossed the pond and came in from the right.

Flo sounded the alarm.

Moe responded immediately and they put up a united front to successfully repel their masked would-be marauder.

I saw the trail camera images when I awoke and immediately went out to check on Flo, Moe & their nest. Not seeing any sign of egg debris and with Flo back on her nest, it seemed that, for the time being at least, things were okay. Flo continued incubating her eggs while Moe continued his patrols.

On sunny afternoons Flo would briefly leave the nest for an afternoon stroll.

Then on the night of April 23rd, a second attempted attack came. This one from an unidentified assailant attempting a stealth move, coming up the island bank from the left.

Flo & Moe once again presented a united front to successfully defend their nest against it.

Later that very same morning, another foreboding sign of potential marauders appeared, this one in the form of a large black cat crossing my swamp pond bridge. From its size, gait, build, what looks to me like a bobbed tail and the fact that I frequently see bobcats in this very same place, this image appeared to me to be of a very rare melanistic bobcat. I sent the image to the NYSDEC on one of their online furbearer reports but have yet to hear back from them.

That night I could not shake an underlying feeling of unease. Flo & Moe’s nest had already been attacked twice. Now this new black cat marauder appeared just as the batteries on the trail cam I had watching the nest were running low. A queasy feeling of imminent danger filled the pit of my stomach.

Later that morning, everything seemed okay. Flo was sitting on her nest with Moe by her side, everything was as it should be.

Later that same afternoon, something on the pond bank got Flo & Moe’s attention.

However, they appeared to have successfully chased off whatever it was and gone on about their business without further incident.

Still, as Flo prepared to begin the third week on her nest, I could not shake that queasy feeling that somewhere in the shadows, unseen dangers still lurked.

April 24th came and went without incident. Each passing day bringing us one closer to day 28.

Then, on the morning of April 25th, I checked trail cameras. My heart immediately sank. In the end, it wasn’t the black cat or the raccoons that destroyed Floe & Moe’s nest and devoured their eggs.

It was the coyote.

Flo & Moe were smart enough to realize that they were no match for the coyote. They didn’t put up a fight. Once the midnight marauder found their nest, it was over. I went out right away. Flo & Moe were there, clearly confused and distraught. They stood by patiently as I crossed to the island, retrieved their babies’ now empty eggshells, and gently returned them to the nest. There had been five eggs.

Once I had placed the eggshells back in the nest and left the island, Flo & Moe returned. They covered what was left of their babies in goose down as a final farewell before leaving it behind for good.

It’s very disheartening to know that all of the time, money and effort I put into the Monroe Wildlife Area trying to create habitat conducive to waterfowl nesting came up empty this year.

Some folks would say that I ought to shoot the coyote. I suppose that I could, but would that solve anything? How many coyotes would I have to shoot?

There’s a lot of them out there.

I guess now all I can do now is stay the course,

and hope for better luck next year.

**********

Until Our Trails Cross Again:

ADKO