Will abandoned wild goslings learn to fly?

[HollyWoozle]

We currently have two wild goslings on our small lake. Their parents nested on the lake's island and there were six goslings until one got taken by a predator of some sort, then five remained for a while.

Maybe two weeks or so ago the parents and most of the babies disappeared, leaving just one gosling behind who was understandably a bit frantic but stuck with our four ducks for company. Later in the day a lady in the village posted saying she had found a gosling alone quite a way down the road from ours - we went to pick it up and brought it back to be reunited with its sibling, so then there were two again. The parents have not returned although other adult geese have occasionally been and gone. The goslings are growing well and are quite settled, spending their days with the ducks mostly.

My question is whether these goslings will learn to fly? It seems like a daft question but I have observed parents teaching their babies to fly in the field before and it seemed to take some doing. I am wondering if these ones will manage without adults to show them how?

 

[sourland]

They will learn to fly and will eventually join a wild flock, but your lake will still be 'home', and they will return each year. Do the wild geese in the UK migrate ? Here in the US there are migratory Canada geese, and geese that are permanent residents.

 

[Iain Utah]

Absolutely agree with sourland. Last year, I found a wild canada baby that my african geese raised. She learned to fly very well doing laps around our house, and this spring, when her family returned, she rejoined them.

 

[HollyWoozle]

This is great to know, thank you! The geese in question are Greylag Geese. I don't believe they migrate but I'm not actually that sure. We only usually see them here from spring to autumn - they started stopping by our lake a few years ago to have their babies and then they disappear when the goslings can fly, but I don't think they go far.