Hello all,
I will copy paste this PM i sent to allcreaturesgreatandsmall, so you can get an update. Im sorry Im not really online much and after a few replies to this thread on day one and two I figured this was gonna be basically too hard for me to do with a tiny car and absolutely no knowledge of geese. but if there is a will there is a way right.
First let me say, the forest preserve people are NOT good at getting back to anyone (neither am i apparently) but anyways, they take months. the main guy at the preserve said he was waiting for the birds to "just fly away".
Plus there is so much legal stuff involved with capturing them. you cant just go and capture them. thats what we thought at first. we needed written permission as taking the birds would count as theft in court. Ridiculous isnt it, you're trying to do a good thing and all these legal parameters in the way.....
but anyways... my PM
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the birds seemed to be having the time of their lives in summer but right now its getting so cold and like you im worried about them! We captured one goose in... I think it was early october or late september. the goose was white and was sitting on the shore crying. We think it got hit on the head because it had a cut. We named it muffin beause it likes to eat blueberry muffins. ONe day i came to the quarry and it was sitting on the bridge, it was maybe 95 degrees that day. Muffin was sitting there making horrible sad noises. I gave him some cheerios and peas mashed with oats and banana and he gobbled that up. The next day I brougt Janice there and we both brought him to Bobs.
Now I know you're wondering who are these people?
I searched for a goose farm and found Bobs, he lives onthe intersection ish of East Sandwich Road and Jericho, on your way to Hinckley. He was glad to take in the geese.
When I left my number with Bob, Janice happened to be worrying about the geese as well and went to Bobs. Bob gave her my number and we started to form a bit of a rescue team.
Muffin went to Bobs right away and Bob said Muffin is just really dehydrated and worn out. He perked up in no time and is doing well now.
We've been feeding the the cracked corn and bread and kale, but we have noticed overtime they have grown more wild. they dont want to come up to my hand and eat anymore and they dont want to be petted. in the earlier days you could put some of them!
We got hold of the forest preserve and had to go thru all sorts of legal bs just to attempt rescue, they are property of the forest preserve (considered that,at least), and it would be illegal and considered stealing for us to take them. Bill , the guy at the forest preserve, took forever getting back to us (and i mean like, 2 months). It was always another excuse until finally we convinced him he HAD to do something or it would be negligence on his part and a bad show of his job if the geese froze.
So we got him and a wildlife rehabber out there but it was a pointless rescue attempt. We hadnt really rehearsed enough and he and the rehabber were scaring off the birds more than anything.
so earlier this week, tuesday it was i think , a couple forest preserve employees went out there on a boat and captured Larry and Cinnamon (brown goose is cinnamon, white male goose is Larry).
They are now at Bobs. Poor Larry is calling for Lucy his mate who is still at the quarry.
So now were left with 2 ducks and Lucy at the preserve. The ducks have adopted a female duck who came in from down the creek, she follows the group everywhere!
I want to try to get them all, the priority is capturing Lucy first. There is a chicken pen set up dwn there, hoping to lure them in, but as they get more wild and distrusting, it gets harder..
