As many of you know, I interact with some feral geese at a public lake. I have written a post about two Chinese ganders and about two grumpy geese on the other side of the lake. Well, the really mean gander got eaten by coyotes last July and everything has been very calm with the geese. The other gander, Louie, has been doing well and even leads the rest of the flock around. He hasn't had his own female companionship for about three years.
Just last week, the more docile gander on the other side of the lake, went missing--possibly stolen. After searching for him for a few days, his mate, Jill, (who is definitely a girl, she was taken to the vet's last year for a serious injury and sexed.) moved over to where Louie and the rest of the geese are.
Louie constantly follows Jill all over, cooing and flexing his neck. I sometimes see a very subtle response from her. Both don't seem to be aggressive to each other. However, every once in a while, Louie would grab Jill by the head and neck violently. She would grab back and kick him back with his feet. Then, he'll grab harder and they'll begin wing-slapping each other. Usually, one of the Canada geese will come in and attack Louie and keep them separate. Louie will then follow Jill around, cooing at her. At one point, after the fighting was over, I thought I saw Louie's penis sticking out, but immediately pulled back in.
My question is that does Louie like Jill at all, or is this a bullying thing? None of the other geese act this way around her, the others act aggressively as if trying to chase her off. Louie and Jill both don't seem like they feel like eating much and Louie seems to be constantly watching her when he's not near her. Do you think they'll pair up?
Here's a photo of Louie in the back and Jill in the front:
Just last week, the more docile gander on the other side of the lake, went missing--possibly stolen. After searching for him for a few days, his mate, Jill, (who is definitely a girl, she was taken to the vet's last year for a serious injury and sexed.) moved over to where Louie and the rest of the geese are.
Louie constantly follows Jill all over, cooing and flexing his neck. I sometimes see a very subtle response from her. Both don't seem to be aggressive to each other. However, every once in a while, Louie would grab Jill by the head and neck violently. She would grab back and kick him back with his feet. Then, he'll grab harder and they'll begin wing-slapping each other. Usually, one of the Canada geese will come in and attack Louie and keep them separate. Louie will then follow Jill around, cooing at her. At one point, after the fighting was over, I thought I saw Louie's penis sticking out, but immediately pulled back in.
My question is that does Louie like Jill at all, or is this a bullying thing? None of the other geese act this way around her, the others act aggressively as if trying to chase her off. Louie and Jill both don't seem like they feel like eating much and Louie seems to be constantly watching her when he's not near her. Do you think they'll pair up?
Here's a photo of Louie in the back and Jill in the front: