CANADIANS---WHY ARE THEY STILL HERE?

While driving around on my route on Friday I saw these wonderful birds just taking advantage of our wonderful California weather. Now...these are CANADIAN geese, mind you. Why are they still in California? Granted, we have some pretty nice weather, there is lots of green grass at this golf course to munch on, lots of great ponds to swim in, but aren't they conditioned genetically to migrate back home?

Just look at them...they seem happy and content to never leave. They are relaxing and preening and just basically taking it easy. Why bother flying all that way north when you don't have to, right?

But, seriously, does anyone know why when Spring arrives that MOST of the Canadian geese head north for the summer but yet some decide to be rogues, defiant teenagers, world travelers, or better yet...on permanent vacation? I always thought that there was something internal that made them fly home, have babies, or whatever they do for the summer up north. But these "birds of a different feather" have decided that it's better here in California and have decided not to head home. Ever? I'm not sure. Maybe next year they'll decide to leave and go home. But for now, they are just walking around enjoying themselves, swimming at their own private "pool", and basically taking a long vacation. Do you think they have visas? Do they expire after six months and then they have to "reapply" to have legal status? Or maybe they just "marry" an American and get dual citizenship. Then, they are free to fly back and forth as much as they want. If they lay eggs here in California, will the babies want to go back to Canada or will they call California home and never have to migrate? Does that change the genetic code for the subsequent off-spring and then the migration is permanently disengaged (so to speak)? These are all questions I am pondering after seeing them on Friday.

I could almost bet that this group decides to make California their home. It looks like they've got a pretty good thing going for themselves. California is a pretty good place to call home. Why put up with all that snow in Canada if you don't have to, eh? C (eh) N (eh) D (eh). That's how you spell CANADA.