Get off my lawn | Scene Through the Lens

Canada geese, once almost hunted to extinction, are now a permanent fixture in parks, rivers, golf courses, corporate campuses, soccer fields and lawns.

So I had to do a double take when I spotted two large birds on a neighbor’s roof while out recently on my morning walk.

While not as common a sight as turkey vultures on rooftops around here, they are known to seek high ground during the nesting season as a way to avoid predators.

While most don’t actually lay their eggs there, wildlife experts say baby Canada geese who do hatch on balconies or high ledges and jump down most often survive because their body mass is so light, they usually just bounce.

Since 1998, a black-and-white photo has appeared every Monday in staff photographer Tom Gralish’s “Scene Through the Lens” photo column in The Inquirer’s local news section. Here are the most recent, in color: