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06-13-2020 11:42 AM
Mike Digout has never been a big fan of Canadian geese. But this spring his views changed after meeting one remarkable mother goose caring for a very large family.
Since work from home started, Digout has been taking walks along the Saskatchewan riverbank near his home in Saskatoon and bringing along his camera to capture the wildlife that lives there. That's where he first met the geese.
"I was out every night walking on the riverbank looking for beavers and, of course, there was a lot of geese activity as they were coming from the south and looking for a place to nest,” Digout told The Dodo. “It got to be quite entertaining to watch the geese fighting over places to nest and protecting their nests.”
One night, Digout was sitting near some reeds along the riverbank when he saw a mother goose with an unusually large group of goslings. One by one, the babies started crawling under her feathers to go to sleep for the night, until he counted 16 fluffy bodies crowded under their mom's protective wings.
“I was stunned that this mom had 16 babies, so I started going back every night looking for this mom and her goslings,” Digout said. “And every day it seemed like she had a bigger group.”
He counted 25 goslings one day, then 30 the next until he finally spotted the mama goose and her mate with 47 babies. Digout realized that this amazing mama was caring for goslings from many different families. This is known as a gang brood and is common in urban and suburban areas with lots of nests.
06-13-2020 11:45 AM
I'm in love with the animal kingdom....big or small I love 'em all!
06-13-2020 11:45 AM
How wonderful there is always that one house in the hood where every kid hangs out.
06-13-2020 11:47 AM
Mother Nature s truly amazing. I have never heard of this behavior in Canada geese, but it's always fun to learn something new about the world of nature.
06-13-2020 11:50 AM
So true! When DD was a teenager it was always MY house, LOL!
I loved it though, I was a stay at home Mom and all of her friend's parents worked, so it was a safe place to hang till their parents got home from work.
Kept them 'off the streets', out of trouble and safe.......
06-13-2020 11:57 AM - edited 06-13-2020 11:58 AM
I had many times when girls softball and soccer teams and boys baseball teams and soccer stayed at my house and some times all night. I would wash all their uniforms for the next days games.
06-13-2020 12:22 PM - edited 06-13-2020 12:43 PM
@Imaoldhippie wrote:I had many times when girls softball and soccer teams and boys baseball teams and soccer stayed at my house and some times all night. I would wash all their uniforms for the next days games.
you sound just like my daughter....they have been lost without their Spring sports.....
06-13-2020 12:29 PM
Thank yoi for this beautiful picture!
So wonderful. Makes me cry
06-13-2020 01:14 PM
Best.thing.I've.read.and.seen.all.day.
Bless you Mother Goose and all you human mothers who care for others!
(and for sharing it.)
06-13-2020 01:42 PM
@KingstonsMom Near a busy bypass where there is a pond I noticed Canada geese and many goslings. The first thing I thought was that they would go in traffic. But, I think the mothers control them well.
Large broods must be nature's way of insuring the species. In lakes many turtles love the babies.
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