In truth, the world needs more Canada Geese that it needs, well, you insert your favorite non-need. Even so, the first goslings to appear at the local farm pond this year are undeniably cute and a definite symbol of hope. What I find curious is that there are only two of the youngsters trailing what is probably mom. In most years past, there'd be at least a half-dozen or more of the fuzzballs out for a swim, so I can't help but wonder if some unpleasantry—a raccoon with a penchant for eggs, or a Snapping Turtle with an appetite for hatchlings, for example—has already cut into the population. The other possibility, I suppose, is that nature is putting a stop to the runaway goose numbers and curbing fertility. Or maybe this particular bird could only produce two kids. We shall never know.