The Lonely Goose

As we are having another nice day with almost summer like temperatures, we went to a different place to enjoy some of the sunshine.

There is a small pond and a trail around the pond that we like because it goes through some woods so you get a mix of shade and sun. Normally, there are many geese that flock near the pond but, for some reason, most of them left awhile ago. But there is one that remains and has been there every time we’ve come to this place.

We have some geese that migrate but most just stay through the year. And, if they migrate, it is typically much later in the year. Given that this is also a property run by our DNR, I don’t think they would intentionally get rid of the geese that typically gather in the area.

By the same reasoning, I’m assuming this particular goose isn’t seriously hurt because if he was unable to fly, then I would think they would have taken him to someone who takes care of injured wildlife. At least I would hope they would do that. Besides, no wing appears to be damage and he moves around the pond quite a bit so an injury doesn’t appear to be the issue.

I suppose there are those who wouldn’t care at all. I know these geese can be messy and noisy in large groups and they can be downright nasty and aggressive if threatened. But I can’t help but wonder why this one particular goose lives in isolation. Maybe it is older and, while not injured, just weak enough to not want to fly long distances.

Then I wonder if he’s lonely as my title suggested. They do tend to gather in large groups but that might just be a survival thing. Does he miss the rest of the flock or is he actually happy to have the pond to himself. An introverted goose living his best life? Yeah, you can probably tell me that geese are just stupid birds with no feelings but I don’t really think that is the case so I do feel a little sorry for him.

I suppose at some point, he will just disappear. Maybe in the middle of winter. I’ll just assume the worse and it will make me sad. Until then, I’ll just keep looking for him on our walks and wondering what the story really is.