I cannot say for certain that the 7' line is sacrosanct, but it does seem to satisfy goose 'needs'. I arrived at that amount of land because what I was creating on the golf course was a 'hazzard' from which golfers could choose to possibly fashion a swing and hit an errant ball if they wished. I would not use boulders as this gives the birds a perch to land upon and then hop off into the yard. Planting shrubs/thorny roses along the inside of the fence provides comfortable nesting areas for the birds in the spring with no access to the water for the young. It would be possible to develop a perennial garden along the 100' using only plants which are cut to the ground in the fall to discourage nesting. Using plants that take up a lot of space and planting in large drifts with an eye to always having something in bloom is an interesting project. Spring bulbs to peonies to butterfly bush to the lower growing perennial sunflowers to perennial asters...these sorts of blooming progressions. The New England Forum people should be able to help you with ideas for easy care, clumping plants that are cut back in the fall. Your problem does not have easy solutions. BTW, I tried using low wire fencing instead of the fishing line idea and it did not work too well. I surmise that it is the surprise element of bumping into the unseen line that discourages the birds.

Hengal, I replied on HT but it occurs to me now that 6' x 8' is not a very big space if you are only moving it once a day. I had a pen about 10' x 10' last year for three goslings and had to move it two or three times a day to keep them in good forage and to prevent damage to the turf. Geese make good use of weeds such as clover, dandelions and plantain as well as grass and the variety does them good. Any chance you could move the pen more often or perhaps let them out as soon as you get home so they can get in some extra foraging? Geese go through a ravenous stage as they are beginning to feather out, but a little later her appetite may calm down some. It is just a case of getting enough greens into her to keep her from needing too much concentrate. Another possibility is to gather extra greens - dandelions, clover etc. - break them up a bit to prevent choking and dump them into the pen to supplement what they can get. It is not as time consuming as it sounds, provided you have some areas that are not manicured. Another thought... do you provide supplemental granite grit? I know that they get some from the ground itself, but a bag of "grower" grit is only a few dollars and a good insurance against digestive difficulties. Nothing to do with the wing problem, but a good idea anyway.

Jen: I'll give you an "amen, sis!" to that one! LOL plumerias are the bomb! So special indeed. As for your neuroticism...hey, you're in good company :) (referring to yours truly of course) Also, nearly all of the best people I've known in my life have their share of neurotic quirks. Wear 'em with pride, I say. Aaaaaand...since you asked...ONLY since you asked LOL-- I went outside tonight at 7pm. A t-storm had moved through (like every day lately) and the clouds had broken abruptly out to the west, where the sun was setting. Well, even though everything else was grey in the dim light, the Nebel's flowers seemed to be glowing, catching the rays of the setting sun...it was incredible. OK, now that one is really, truly, the last one...I'm gonna get banned! Jen, hope things are cooling down for you in TX. Enjoy the weekend. Greg

I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of the cranes. Guess I'll have to get better at sneaking up on them! It's also difficult when your property is flat with no mature trees or shrubs except along the fenceline. I'll have to work on that. Here's a pic of a visitor that came to the house. That was last year and he kept coming back, I expect because he was hunting toads and frogs (and probably the occasional garter snake). We get various water birds because there is a conservation area 15 miles south of us and a large marsh about an hour north of us and we see them flying overhead from one to the other. To bad most of them never land. Anyway, here he is. Both these pics were taken from inside the house. It's a black capped Night Heron. Cute huh? Here' a closer one. When I saw movement at the side of the house, I ran in and got my camera and then headed for the kitchen. When I got to the door, I stopped because he was standing on the windowsill. I walked right up to the counter and started snapping away. Gues he was used to the attention because he didn't move, just kept watching me and posing.