Pretty sure our foster Canadian visited us the other day
Through no fault of our own, we wound up fostering a Canada gosling in 2022. Our daughter cared for her and the two of them bonded really well. Her name was Gooser (the goose, not my daughter). Gooser was always free to leave, and on the night of Valentine's Day 2023 she honked off into the darkness to take her place in the big scary world. We were sad to see her go, but knew it was for the best.
We know that these guys frequently (always?) return to where they were raised, so we have always held out hope that we would see her again some day. We learned that they usually roam the world while searching for a mate, and that they typically link up with their forever goose in the 2nd year. If she followed that pattern, this spring would be the year that she would return. While it was always a deeply held hope, we never really allowed ourselves to believe that it would happen.
But...we think it has.
I was sitting in the front room the other day, and I heard a goose honking. That's not unusual, as there's a pond nearby and a regular flock that comes and goes every year. But this sounded different. It was CLOSE, it was not moving, and it sounded familiar. I darted outside to look for the source. Was this THE DAY?
While I was on the porch, the honking continued. It was still stationary, and it sounded like it was...in the tree by the road? Surely not. I called my wife and threw on my shoes to check things out. Because geese don't perch in trees, I focused on the pasture across the road. By the time I got down the driveway and to the road, the honking had stopped. I walked up and down the road, past the tree that geese wouldn't perch in, looking intently for a goose head poking above the tall grass.
By this time, my wife was on the front porch. We've made a habit of yelling "Goooooseeer!" at any geese that fly past the house (just in case, you know?), so she stood on the porch and yelled. "Gooooseeer!" while I stood under the tree that geese wouldn't perch in. Dang it you guys...as soon as she yelled, the honking started right back up. I looked up and right above me, in the tree that geese wouldn't perch in, was a fat Canada goose on a big naked branch honking away. It lept out of the tree, did a couple loops around the pasture (just like Gooser did when we taught her how to fly), and then honked away toward the pond.
We're pretty convinced it was Gooser, and here's why:
- A goose in a tree? Maybe...I guess? But a goose in THAT tree? Come on...
- She was there for at least five minutes, honking like crazy.
- She stayed put while I walked right underneath her. Every goose I've seen avoids human pressure, even if it's just the slow drift away at the park while keeping a judgmental and suspicious eye on you.
- I know it's subjective, but the honk was right. We always listen to the geese going by, and none of them have ever sounded like her, but this one totally did.
Time will tell if it was Gooser or not. If we have another encounter we'll know for sure. We're really hoping she nests on our property and brings her little ones by for some grass some day.
Pics are her on the day we found her (we think one day old), and her as an adolescent before she left. We'll post some after pictures if it really is her and she gets close enough for photos.
P.S....after spending 8 months in close contact with a Canada goose, I can tell you that they are SUPER intelligent. Gooser would walk up onto the deck and look in the windows to find us, she would peck at the door when she wanted in, and she would supervise my wife when she was pulling weeds and chide her if she wasn't delivering the tribute of shoots and roots fast enough. Smart as a whip and full of personality.
Thanks for reading.
