Hi Miss Lydia, sorry for the late reply, it's been hectic here!!
Well first, let me tell you about Gary. He's our famous goose. He was dumped a few years ago on a fishing lake along with two other geese. They were fine for a while but eventually the fence around the lake got so dilapidated that they were able to get out onto the road. The incentive for them was the sweet grass verge on the other side!
The only saving grace here was that the traffic was forced to slow in the location the geese crossed, as it was on a roundabout (a round junction in the road to split roads off in different directions, you don't have them in the states, which is good, because they are bad for accidents!!) However, eventually, two of the geese did get hit by a car, leaving just Gary, who, from that day, made it his duty to sit in the middle of the roundabout and 'shout' at the passing cars for killing (or so we thought) his friends!!
Gary became famous as he was always wandering up and down the road chasing people walking there dogs, waiting for his regulars to feed him, standing at the bus stop waiting for people to get off the bus, and, when he was on the lake, bursting into the fishermans tents at 5am and stealing their fishing bait!! He is quite the character!!
This went on again for some years until new apartments were built opposite the lake, this road was busier than the other and the locals used to throw bread out the windows for him, encouraging him to cross!!
I used to drive by and he was always in the road, holding up traffic. I used to stop my truck and usher him back to the lake, but no sooner had I driven off, he was out again.
I repaired the fences at my own expense, but alas, teenagers destroyed them again.
As time went on, Gary got braver, and the road got busier with all the developments going on. I decided it was time to relocate him after I witnessed a very near miss! Someone was pushing him out the way with their car.
So, with the help of our local RSPCA inspector, we took him to Wiltshire wildlife hospital for temporary rehoming, where, amazingly, he met up with the two geese that got run over! The were injured and taken there, but never rehomed!
After three weeks of searching, I found the place that they are in now, which is beautiful. They have a 4 acre lake and a 3 acre field, all perimeter fenced. There were 7 of them in total, we have 5 left now after an otter killed one and one died of, we think, old age. The ones on the lake are at least 20. Gary, I think, is around 10. The only thing I feel bad about is that he doesn't have all the people contact he used to know and love. He seems much calmer now and is caring for the young of the Canada geese that share the lake with them. I'm not sure if this is good, or if he was better off before??
The feathers around the eyes are growing back!! I think it was a vitamin deficiency. You were right. We've had a harsh winter. But now the grass is growing back and they are feasting on that! I'm also giving them wheat and layers pellets. All 5 are back together again!!
However, one weird thing. When Gary was on the lake, he was all pristine and white (first picture in the crate). However, now, after being in a better environment, with me looking after him, he looks really rough, dirty and bedraggled! As do the others, who, again, all looked great when I first met them!! I feel like its my fault!! Could it be they are still getting over the winter?
I look forward to your advice!
Have a great weekend,
Kind regards
Ian
and great to hear you rescued these geese. Thank you!
