A Sweet Natured Goose



Recently I have been debating whether or not Camilla, the Canada Goose is indeed a Charles.....
That general debate is now at an end, for she has now made a nest in which has been deposited several large white oval eggs.
Her eggs, I am presuming, are not fertile, for I have not seen Russell mating with her as he has done in his normal noisy way, with Winnie and Jo. And so, I need to remove them regularly in an effort to stop Camilla going overly broody.
Sitting geese can be terribly aggressive.
They are big powerful birds which can inflict a painful bite when they have a mind to, and so I have been somewhat cautious when retrieving her eggs. 
But so far, apart from the odd half hearted hiss, Camilla has been a real sweetie....with her big black eyes watching my every move, she always ambles gently to one side, so I can reach into the nest.
Her only show of bad humour this morning was a brief  and perfunctory  pull at the  band of my underpants when I bent over......
And before you all ask
Yes..they were clean on


51 comments:

  1. We seem to be in the same area with our geese at the moment. Ours are all in full lay and I had been warned that they could be aggressive if they saw me taking the eggs, so I am usually a bit careful, but recently Larry has taken to sitting on hers in a last bid attempt to raise young, and makes a fuss when I go over, which of course brings Harry and Mo over to investigate the goosey complaining honks.

    But they have all been really nice with me and Harry usually carries on nibbling her way through my wellies, the other two just go off in a goosey huff and you know how well geese 'do' huffs!

    I did get bitten on the bum by Harry yesterday in the gentlest of fashions, well it was sticking out of the henhouse while I cleaned it out bent over AND I was in shorts for the first time this year so I guess there was a bit of temptation!!

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    1. Thy do " huff" don't they? ...how very gay of them!

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  2. Well you had your hands on her clutch, your underpantswere fair play.

    LLX

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    Replies
    1. Yes...perhaps she was just returning the favour x

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  3. Replies
    1. At least I DO HAVE a twang in my knicker elastic x

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  4. Better than being 'goosed'.

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  5. She probably saw what happened to Bogbrush when he got a bit uppity.

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    Replies
    1. When I get some birds, I am gonna let John babysit them for some time :-)

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    2. Just take all my tin bowls off me KK

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  6. I hope there's no resulting fraying that could cause embarrassment at a later date....

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  7. i think the word is out on you with your animals! no one wants to get gob smacked!

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  8. What do you do with her eggs? I seem to remember that my grandmother used them for baking.
    Only one hiss is very gentle, I think.

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    Replies
    1. A few ladies of the village including auntie glad use them up for cooking and baking

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  9. Hurrah for Camilla! I guess a tiny wedgie is worth some lovely goose eggs.

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    Replies
    1. Funny I can't abide their taste... A bit rich for me

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  10. even geese can't resist a bit of builders bum :-D

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  11. Swans can be equally if not more so aggressive, I have memories of running from their hissing mouths.. Have you been by to see the new Everything 8 litter yet John? Mercedes has done good

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    Replies
    1. They look like a pair of airy potatoes !

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  12. Originally born in Canada and lived there 13 years - I didn't know *our* geese made it across to pond. Off to read up more on them.

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    Replies
    1. Camilla was a gosling that was found in a gardening south England..the old man that found her had been feeding her porridge

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  13. Sounds like your average Canadian girl to me.
    Jane x

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  14. Perhaps the reason for her politeness is that she wasn't really looking forward to the tedious business of protecting her eggs, and she'll be glad to be shot of them.

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  16. Anonymous12:10 pm

    Take care John. Guelph is over run with Canada Geese and this time of year you have to be very careful.

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  17. Ah,if only someone could have gotten a picture of that.

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  18. Now I know more about geese that ever before. I had no idea they might become aggressive. I met a most unpleasant swan once.

    Love,
    Janie

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    Replies
    1. I have met a couple of nasty bloggers too..thank goodness you seem sweet

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    2. Why, thank you. Nasty bloggers need not apply at my bloghouse.

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  19. What I was wondering is why someone would be out stealing goose eggs in his underpants. But then I thought... Oh, it's John.

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  20. I am strangely reminded of Goosy Goosy Gander !

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  21. She does have a very sweet face

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  22. Anonymous6:40 pm

    It was always our boy geese you had to watch, the girlies were fine. Perhaps she wanted the pants for nest lining...

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  23. I once hatched a pair of geese under a broody hen John and I kept them for a year but then they became so aggressive that I gave them back to the chap who gave me the eggs in the first place (he breeds geese for the Christmas table).

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    Replies
    1. I have been so lucky with my geese ...all the females (hand reared) have been good natured

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  24. I have never had geese. Only chickens they are enough for me.
    Rosezeeta.

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  25. Everything you wanted to know about Canadian Geese but were afraid to ask.
    http://www.ohiogeesecontrol.com/

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  26. Thanks Colin...I enjoyed that

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  27. I had a pair of Canada Geese nest on our pool and they attacked me and Compostgirl when she was in her pushchair - really very violently - we removed the duck island they nested in, after this event.

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  28. There were a couple of Canada Geese eating the grass on the park just below our place. I thought, "Grass fed Geese for Thanksgiving." (Thanksgiving is early October in the Colony of Canada.) Then I thought of Camilla. And then I though, "That's rather mean thinking, about Camilla."

    Blessings and Bear hugs!
    Bears Noting
    Life in the Urban Forest (poetry)

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  29. But so far, apart from the odd half hearted hiss, Camilla has been a real sweetie....with her big black eyes watching my every move, she always ambles gently to one side, so I can reach into the nest.

    She could teach the hyper-aggressive ones running amok over here a thing or two!

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  30. Haha.
    Good one, John. What will you do with the eggs, then? Give them away?

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  31. I still have the scar from a goose bite about sixty years ago.

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