Geese

This spring brought two geese to make a nest near the pond behind our house. We watched these geese for several weeks. We even named them Lucy and Lou. Then tragedy struck. One morning Chris had taken out Chompers and discovered that the mama goose had been attacked and killed. I was distraught, but I remembered about a lady in our neighborhood that volunteered for rescue. That morning which was also the first day of SC Ready testing, I reached out to her about the eggs. She was able to rescue and incubate 3 of the 5 eggs. The other two had been pierced and blood was present. I kept in contact with her and had asked her that if the eggs hatched before they were taken to a more permanent rescue to send me goslings photos. We weren’t sure if the eggs would hatch, but that Sunday evening only 5 days after the attack they hatched. We had since kept watch over the daddy. He was mopey and sad. We went out and talked to him and fed him oats and peas. He would hiss at us but he recognized us and would come to us. Anyway after the fillings hatched, the rescue lady was able to clean them in her bathtub and had been watching for a family to place them with because geese will take in other goslings as their own. She sent me the video of this and I cried. It was so cute! The goslings practically jumped and flitter ran to join their family. The new family now had 8 goslings. 

Lucy diligently sitting on her nest everyday! 

Lou protecting the area where the nest is located. 

The remaining eggs that didn’t survive. 

Lou after the tragedy protecting the nest. 

Sad Lou 

Chris feeding and talking to Lou  

The goslings hatch. 2 hatch and then the last one hatches. 

All ready to meet their family. They swam and are in the bathtub. 

Release and the daddy is hinking telling them to come one 

Acceptance- it’s so amazing how these animals adopt other goslings as their own. 

And they are off— Eventually these two run and flitter into the group. 

Swimming as a family of 10! 8 goslings and mom and dad

A happy ending!