17 May Meet Father Goose | May 2016

Meet Father Goose

Egyptian Goose, Male

Please Meet Father Goose

Admittedly, he’s not the white goose that you see in children’s books.

He’s an Egyptian Goose, which is an introduced species in the United States.

He’s very similar to the female, except he has a dark spot on his upper chest.

Otherwise, you can recognize him because he hisses and she honks; he follows and she leads.

A pair of these beautiful birds lives in Carbon Canyon Regional Park, Brea, CA.

Over the past three years they have raised three families.

These birds can be fierce. Once I saw the two adults chase a Red-tailed Hawk, almost pulling it out of the sky.

They can also be tender. Once I saw the male walk up to the female and gently touch the top of her head with the tip of his bill.

Egyptian Goose, Male

Recently, something special happened.

Starting from perhaps 100 yards (100 m) away, the geese (two adults and five juveniles) walked toward me. They kept coming until they had formed a circle around me to nibble on the grass. Then, after a few minutes, they wandered off to another part of the park.

While they were there, I told them that they were good geese, wonderful parents, magnificent birds, and so on.

Maybe they came to me because geese appreciate hearing praise.

Maybe they came to bring a gift: An opportunity to be kind, in this case to a goose.

Or maybe to remind us that everyone can be kind.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

See more photos of the Egyptian Goose at: Birds Up Close

Read another Goose Story at: Feathers Make the Goose

Here are ways to be kind: 27 Ways to Show Kindness

Help Birds Tip

Avoid lawn chemicals

Why #1: Many birds eat plants, bugs, and seeds on the ground. As a result, these chemicals poison birds and the food they eat.

Why #2: Lawn chemicals can make people sick. The tricky part of this is: People become sick a long time after coming into contact with these chemicals. That happens because the toxins accumulate in body tissue, eventually causing cancers or other disorders.

Here’s an article that tells more: See Pest Control Chemicals

Did You Know?

The most effective way to help birds is to buy land.

Here are three organizations that excel at doing this.

1) American Bird Conservancy

2) The Nature Conservancy

3) The Trust for Public Land

Please visit their web sites to learn about the work they do.

Here’s an excellent book: The American Bird Conservancy Guide to Bird Conservation

You can help – Please share this blog with others.

Inspiring Respect for Nature, one bird at a time.

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