Well, apparently there has been lots of drama here - unfortunately. From what I understand, mama goose was attacked by another goose, and dad was not there to protect her; she left the eggs, the attacker hung around, mom came back and chased the attacker away, covered her eggs, but not for long as the attacker came back, then dad chased him off; meanwhile, the eggs have been uncovered more than usual.
Apparently, due to a lack of water again this year (fewer sloughs, wetlands), many geese are attacking other geese because they want their sites. I don't know if this is true, but it sounds plausible.
At present, mom (the real mom) is back on the nest, her headfeathers somewhat in disarray, but she is resting, and we all presume that dad is nearby, keeping a more vigilant watch to prevent further attacks by the intruder.
