{"id":1684,"date":"2019-08-22T06:30:38","date_gmt":"2019-08-22T06:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/?p=1684"},"modified":"2021-09-07T03:21:42","modified_gmt":"2021-09-07T03:21:42","slug":"flight-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/flight-school\/","title":{"rendered":"FLIGHT SCHOOL"},"content":{"rendered":"
BY\u00a0KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/h5>\n
This year’s class\u00a0of Canada geese (Branta canadensis<\/i>) naval aviators have started flight school!<\/h5>\n
I\u2019ve been watching these youngsters\u00a0on daily dog-walks in the park since early May. When they first showed up I noticed their resemblance, in size and coloration, to the yellow puffball flowers of\u00a0the American sycamores (Platanus occidentalis<\/i>) towering above. There were quite a few adults living in and around the lake and several pairs successfully hatched large clutches, the second batch about 10 days\u00a0after the first. The whole flock pitched in to keep the cautious but curious brood within a protective circle, long black necks and heads swiveling like periscopes scanning the horizon for imminent threats.<\/h5>\n

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Every morning’s stroll included a peek into the classroom, watching as the new recruits moved through basic training. \u00a0First lesson: water =\u00a0safety. Mandatory swimming lessons for\u00a0all sailors! Initially,\u00a0members of the new crew were skeptical, needing some\u00a0strongly worded encouragement from a\u00a0drill instructor to take the plunge.<\/h5>\n

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In no time at all, though, they had their sea-legs and formed a flotilla.<\/h5>\n

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Next, the unit practiced how to parade. The slow, unhurried pace set by the adults was clearly intended to convey respectability and prestige, and they pulled it off with stately ease. The trainees were another story entirely. Try as they might to imitate their elders, casual dignity is mighty difficult to achieve when your growing body hasn’t quite caught up to your oversized feet\u2014ask any 12 year old boy wearing size 11 sneakers. The slightest break in concentration and the whole company piled up like dominoes.<\/h5>\n

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There was so much to learn!\u00a0How to keep their uniforms squared away…<\/h5>\n

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…calisthenics to strengthen those important pectoral muscles…<\/h5>\n

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…choosing the right\u00a0mess hall…<\/h5>\n

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…not to mention growing by leaps and bounds. Before long, it was time to\u00a0strap on the black aviator helmet and take off!<\/h5>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Their first flights were brief and aquatic; buoyant new pilots seem to find over-water touch-and-go’s less intimidating. What’s the worse that can happen? You ditch, you get wet. \u00a0A bruised ego\u00a0heals a lot faster than broken bones.<\/h5>\n

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Next, the flight instructors lead youngsters on low, circular cruises around the park, honking encouragement all along the way. Landing\u00a0on turf requires more skill and daring…<\/h5>\n

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… as well as greater maneuverability to avoid trees, lamp posts, power lines, and buildings.\u00a0Practice makes perfect but there can be some embarrassing mistakes along the way.\u00a0One missed turn can result in\u00a0an unintended landing strip.<\/h5>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Still, they’ve definitely got the right stuff: determination, focus, and drive. Whether they choose\u00a0to become full-time Midwesterners or set off next year<\/a><\/span> for\u00a0northern climes, to search for adventure and a mate, wild\u00a0blue yonder here they come!<\/h5>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Learn more about the birds who call Lafayette Park home<\/span><\/a>!<\/h5>\n
\u00a9<\/strong>\u00a02015 Next-Door Nature\u2014no reprints without written permission from the author (I\u2019d love for you to share my work , just ask first). Thanks to these photographers for making their work available through a Creative Commons license (from top to bottom):\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0Gidzy (squadron in flight<\/a>); Ingrid Taylar (downy<\/a>); Rachel Kramer (drill sergeant<\/a>); Eric B\u00e9gin (flotilla<\/a>); Tjflex2 (preening<\/a>); Jeremiah John McBride (calisthenics<\/a>); Ray Morris (grazing goslings<\/a>); Eric B\u00e9gin (aviator helmet<\/a>); John Benson (water landing<\/a>,\u00a0turf touchdown<\/a>); essayru (missed turn<\/a>); J. Michael Raby (morning flight<\/a>). \u00a0Thanks also to Pam Parsons (big feet<\/a>) for permission to use her photo.<\/em><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BY\u00a0KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD This year’s class\u00a0of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) naval aviators have started flight school! I\u2019ve been watching these youngsters\u00a0on daily dog-walks in the park since early May. When […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1685,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":0,"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,16],"tags":[74,18,75,76,77,78,79,80,81,12,82,32,14,15,17],"class_list":["post-1684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-birds","category-wildlife","tag-backyard-nature","tag-backyard-wildlife","tag-canada-geese","tag-canada-goose","tag-flight","tag-flight-school","tag-geese","tag-goose","tag-gosling","tag-nature","tag-resident-geese","tag-suburban-wildlife","tag-urban-wildlife","tag-watchable-wildlife","tag-wildlife"],"yoast_head":"\nFLIGHT SCHOOL - Lafayette Park Conservancy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettepark.org\/staging_5\/flight-school\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"FLIGHT SCHOOL - Lafayette Park Conservancy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"BY\u00a0KIERAN LINDSEY, PhD This year’s class\u00a0of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) naval aviators have started flight school! 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