The world where I live — wildlife
Cape Barren is a long swim over Bass Strait from the peninsula town of Crib Point but the handsome and grumpy Cape Barren goose gets around. I’m not sure how because seeing them in a loud and clunky run-up and launch into the air is like filling a zeppelin with water and seeing how far it gets off the ground.
This pair was one of three that effectively owned the last place I worked. They tried to get into the building one day and I was going to open the door and herd them into my manager’s office to drop some goose-sized shit on his desk, however, geese are quite strong-willed and hard to bribe into undertaking practical jokes. When outside, they take evil delight in jumping on people’s cars and dropping giant turds on the roofs. It’s one of the funniest things seeing someone else’s car getting bombed with goose poo.
The school kids who visited work loved the pair of geese who called the heritage precinct their own, to the point of ignoring my warnings to keep away from them as they are protective, territorial birds and can chase far better than they can fly. The last kid who ignored my advice did a 100m dash in sub-11 seconds and I called the Australian Institute of Sport to get him in the track and field program for the next Olympics. If the starter’s gun is changed to a goose’s honk, he’ll get gold for us, for sure.
Crank-o-meter: honk honk
January 19th, 2010 at 7:08 pm
aw I love cape barren geese, they’re so big and lovely looking. I am scared of geese in general, having been chased by some as a child, all that hissing and honking is rather intimidating!!
January 19th, 2010 at 9:44 pm
Those are scarier than your average goose! Lovely feathers. We have a lot of Canada geese around our place. And swans.
January 20th, 2010 at 6:06 am
They are quite charming, Fen, but I’m a bit girlie-girl scared as well. Geese are the only avian life I’ve never really bonded with. Budgies, chooks, ducks (gosh, ducks are fun), crows, pelicans … but geese, hmmmmmmm.
Foodycat, the spots on their feathers are lovely and I like their yellow beaks as well. Are the Canada geese lost or merely keen travellers?
January 20th, 2010 at 11:27 pm
They are introduced and naturalised. And a bit of a pest!
January 21st, 2010 at 8:39 am
I looked at the photos and pondered for the right word that sat on the tip of my beak for some time, then came up with two to form a phrase to describe the barren geese…
elegantly sturdy
Their mothers wear combat boots.
January 21st, 2010 at 5:59 pm
Ah ha, makes sense.
Very nice description, comrade. And their combat boots have spurs!!!