Goose standing around, not grazing or moving--update she's ALIVE

[desertdarlene]

Hi Mothergooz.

Louie has been missing now for almost 2 weeks which has never happened before. He's a very wise and cautious gander and can't fly anywhere, so he rarely goes very far. It wasn't just down feathers, but body feathers that I saw, too, and it was a very large amount like when I see a coyote kill. The area where the feathers were seen is not accessible by foot, but can mostly be seen by boat or by optics. So, there might be a body hidden in the reeds or behind the reeds.

Even if he was found, our local wildlife rehabber would not take him because he's domestic even though he has been at the lake living in the wild for up 20 years. I would have no problem catching him as I've caught him before, though I would have to bribe him with food because he's wise to me and doesn't want to get caught again.

I wrote an article about Louie here:

http://voices.yahoo.com/louie-gander-appears-passed-on-12467853.html?cat=53

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hi Mothergooz.

Louie has been missing now for almost 2 weeks which has never happened before. He's a very wise and cautious gander and can't fly anywhere, so he rarely goes very far. It wasn't just down feathers, but body feathers that I saw, too, and it was a very large amount like when I see a coyote kill. The area where the feathers were seen is not accessible by foot, but can mostly be seen by boat or by optics. So, there might be a body hidden in the reeds or behind the reeds.

Even if he was found, our local wildlife rehabber would not take him because he's domestic even though he has been at the lake living in the wild for up 20 years. I would have no problem catching him as I've caught him before, though I would have to bribe him with food because he's wise to me and doesn't want to get caught again.

I wrote an article about Louie here:

http://voices.yahoo.com/louie-gander-appears-passed-on-12467853.html?cat=53

What a nice article dd, so sorry to hear Louie is gone, it's like losing an old friend.

 

[RURU]

Dd I am sorry that there is another lost goose the gander now. It seems not a good year for the geese there.

 

[desertdarlene]

Thanks everyone. There's only three domestics on the lake now and they're old fairly old. I think there is one pair that could possibly breed and the other domestic is a male. There is also a family (with a gander and a goose) of Canada geese with a young one that looks to be almost two years old and may be a girl. There are two other Canada geese there that are mostly likely ganders. That's all the geese that are left and I've not seen any goslings for several years, though at least one nest was started and destroyed by kids.

I would love to see more geese there, but don't don't want any more domestic geese dumped there. We get snow geese in the area now and then, but I never see them. And, there was a small cackling goose flock one time, but they only stayed there one day.

It's kinda strange as all the geese are at peace now and I've seen no fights since Louie left

 

[mothergooz]

My deepest sympathies to you desertdarlene! I really was hoping he was just doing some heavy preening, but if you've seen a coyote kill before then you'd recognize one now.

And as for your wildlife rehabber I'd like to give her/him a piece of my mind! Grant it, he was a domestic but an animal is an animal and if you have the talents to heal, YOU HEAL THE ANIMAL irregardless of what it is.

I love geese and all waterfowl. I've ran out in the middle of a six lane highway to help a goose family cross the street; I've chased off the goose patrol who were scaring goose families who were doing nothing but resting in corporate parks after a long flight and when there is a mother nesting outside a business I make sure to let them know I am monitoring her in case they get any crazy ideas of destroying her nest.

All because a goose befriended me...as I'm sure Jill and Louie did to you.

In their memory continue to monitor your flock. Assist where needed and listen to what they have to teach: geese are very wise.

The pond may be barren of nesting couples now, but you never know come spring.

 

[desertdarlene]

Thanks. There is still a slim hope that I am wrong about Louie, but 2 weeks is an awfully long time.

Louie used to hang around with a goose that hated me and went out of his way to attack me. Louie used to block him and hold him back from me. He also protected ducklings from a goose that tried to attack them while I was watching them. Jill didn't like me, either, at first but changed once we got to know each other.