This afternoon , an elderly chap will be visiting the field. He lives over 200 miles away, but will be stopping by with his daughter in order to have a reunion of sorts.
He will be coming to see Camilla.
Two years ago, he found what he thought to be a grey duckling in his garden.
He placed the duckling in the conservatory, fed it porridge and panicked when it not only survived, but thrived under his care.
Only then did he realise that he had no real idea of how to look after a duckling who was doubling in size every few days ( or so it seemed)
Luckily his daughter reads my blog, and so, after some minor telephone and email negotiations the ducking was transported all the way up to Wales.
Of course the duckling wasn't a duckling at all. She was a buxom and rather adorable Canada goose gosling with big, black sad eyes and feet the size of dinner plates.
I fell in love with her as soon as she arrived
She was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen
I have a thing for goslings
Readers may remember that I teamed her up with an orphaned chick called badger, whose mother had been killed by a marauding boar badger a week or so previously.
The two birds were inseparable until Camilla eventually joined the other field geese when they realised that she was indeed " one of them" and Badger took over as alpha male cockerel in the Ukrainian Village.
I will post some photos of the " reunion" a bit later. Funny that two plus years after the event, Camilla's former carer still has that " bond" with the orphan that so luckily found him in his bungalow back garden one spring morning.
He will be coming to see Camilla.
Two years ago, he found what he thought to be a grey duckling in his garden.
He placed the duckling in the conservatory, fed it porridge and panicked when it not only survived, but thrived under his care.
Only then did he realise that he had no real idea of how to look after a duckling who was doubling in size every few days ( or so it seemed)
Luckily his daughter reads my blog, and so, after some minor telephone and email negotiations the ducking was transported all the way up to Wales.
Of course the duckling wasn't a duckling at all. She was a buxom and rather adorable Canada goose gosling with big, black sad eyes and feet the size of dinner plates.
I fell in love with her as soon as she arrived
She was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen
I have a thing for goslings
Readers may remember that I teamed her up with an orphaned chick called badger, whose mother had been killed by a marauding boar badger a week or so previously.
The two birds were inseparable until Camilla eventually joined the other field geese when they realised that she was indeed " one of them" and Badger took over as alpha male cockerel in the Ukrainian Village.
 |
| Camilla and Badger in their salad days |
Camilla gave her old owner a rather shy but sweet welcome
I feel a film coming on. . .
ReplyDeleteGoosey come home?
DeleteWonderful story, hope the reunion is special for all.
ReplyDeleteI will post a photo later as a postscript
DeleteAww! I raised a crow once through work. We named him Bertie and he thought that I was his mother. I taught him how to eat, fly, and he would never leave my side. I was absolutely gutted when a bird rescue took him and released him in Bodelwyddan Castle a few months later. I miss him so much!
ReplyDeleteHere's a pic of us
Deletehttp://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u540/zoomi_es/image_zps515e6877.jpg
You should have kept him he looks adorable
DeleteI know. I really regret it, especially because we moved to Gyrn not long afterwards and there is not a cat in sight, which was the only reason why I didn't keep him in Gwespyr.
DeleteI recall falling in love with two goslings in Lubango in Southern Angola when I was building a power station there and bringing them back to Luanda as 'carry on' luggage on the national airline. Sadly, one died a few months later but Goosie is still with me, eats out of my hand and strikes terror into the hearts of intruders.
ReplyDeleteGoslings are clumsy
DeleteI think that's part of their charm
Can you say in which direction the 200 miles were? Sounds a bit like Bath.
ReplyDeleteI have forgotton tom..... Though I have a feeling it was Horsham
DeleteAll critters that come and go have a place in our memories.
ReplyDeleteI'm desperate to know if Camilla recognises her first carer.
ReplyDeleteI will get the stirring music ready kath
DeleteLOvely story to start my day, thanks
ReplyDeleteBriony
x
Is the "elderly chap" called Charles by any chance? And does he live at Highgrove in Gloucestershire?
ReplyDeleteHummmmmmmm?
DeleteCamilla4Charles xxxx
DeleteHave you seen the 1996 film 'Fly Away Home'? If not; you should.
ReplyDeleteIi would make me weep buckets cro
Deletei wonder if camilla will remember him.
ReplyDeleteSo looking forward to seeing pictures of the reunion. What a trip.
ReplyDeleteWhat a heart warming story. Again. Thank you - I am looking forward to the reunion post.
ReplyDelete'Fly Away Home' has weepy moments but the end is simply brilliant the most uplifting film ever :-)
ReplyDeleteYou have to film part of the reunion, we'll hum our own music as we watch.
Special bonds with any bird or animal are amazing and I really do think they realise when we save their lives.
Although saying that Caldwell, the cockerel still has a crafty attack of my ankles when I pass, the ungrateful wretch!!
ReplyDeleteMost of our Canada goslings at work have started to get their adult markings. The adults have all moulted their primary feathers, so they are unable to fly. Last year, I actually "caught" one that had run into a fenced in corner- silly goose! Around the same time, I played my infamous game of highest scoring game of "Angry Bird". Now, THAT was a crazy interlude on the job.
ReplyDeleteJust nice.
ReplyDelete"Feet the size of dinner plates," you say. I got some picture of a whole bunch of them, yesterday. Three families looking for some high ground aside the very fast-flowing (now flooding) river. One family had 20 (count 'em, 20) babies, which were not small.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your wildstock!
Blessings and Bear hugs!
Bears Noting
Life in the Urban Forest (poetry)
How wonderful! I believe all creatures "remember"...
ReplyDeleteHow sweet, and the fact that he lived so far away and took the time to drive back to Wales to be reunited, makes it more so.
ReplyDeleteI'd say she remembered him, I too believe all creatures remember :)
*smiling*
~Jo
Geese - shy and sweet John? I gave my two away because they flew angrily at anyone who dared to trespass in the yard. (My friend had two and they were the same - she put hers in the freezer for Christmas, so at least I had a heart.)
ReplyDeleteNon of my hand reared geese are agressive Pat....I have been very lucky they all seem to be rather benign
DeleteShe's beautiful John :-)
ReplyDeleteWell done for Camilla!
ReplyDeleteI always love the 'warm-your-heart' stories. :-)
ReplyDeleteThat is such a sweet story!
ReplyDeleteCamilla looks so sweet as a gosling. I do have a soft spot for geese.
ReplyDeleteYours are beautiful jess
Deletevery heartwarming
ReplyDeleteThe elderly gentleman is a very decent bloke - remembering Camilla and going out of his way to visit her. Nice to remember that there are good people in the world.
ReplyDeleteI think the moral must be, think twice before you rescue a stray animal - it might turn out more of a handful than you anticipated! Glad you were able to take over when panic set in!
ReplyDeleteMind you , if he hadn't of intervened.. Little Camilla would never have reached me
DeleteDo you trim her wings to prevent her from flying or does she just choose to stay.
ReplyDeleteDoc.. She can fly.. But really has not tried too much( although she did have one major disastrous take off and landing during a gale once......
ReplyDeleteShe stays cos she loves her home ( and doesn't know any better)
Dear St John
ReplyDeleteWhere we walk the dog in Nant y FFrith there are a couple of little ponds. The other day we saw two families of Canada geese together as one group. Four adults and about a dozen babies.
Colin
They are lovely are they not?
DeleteDoes her former owner like her name? And, did you tell him about trying to sex the birds? Minds out of the gutter, you KNOW i meant trying to determine whether Camilla is really Camilla or should have been named Charles.
ReplyDeleteThe old chap called his baby Freddie !
DeletePs Camilla is now laying eggs
ReplyDeleteA heartwarming story! That's one lucky goose.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that all baby animals are so cute and fuzzy? Never mind, rhetorical question :) Camilla was no exception to the cute and fuzzy rule.
ReplyDeleteThat gentleman is quite a sweetie, isn't he? Not only to take in the gosling in the beginning, but to care enough about it to go out of his way to see that it went to someone better able to raise it... and then to go out of his way later to visit you and the gosling. What a feel-good story. And what an adorable gosling she was. (First time I saw a baby Canadian goose.)
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely story, John. Stop pressing my teary button.It can only be a matter of time before I ask you to let me a room. In the chicken shack if need be. That wouldn't so much complete your circus as be a distracting addition. It might also keep Chris away. Chris who I'd probably get on with very well does not know this: Have - silently - declared war on him.
ReplyDeleteAm fond of geese. Very. Irrationally so. Always picture myself in old age with a gander following me round the garden. Weaver of Grass is right: Don't mess with a goose. They make marvellous guard dogs, Ersatz Alsations as it were.
U