September 14, 2022
I was sitting on a bench at Maplewood Nature Preserve in Maplewood, Minnesota when I could hear a goose honking as it flew in from the east to land on the pond.
When it landed too close to a pair of geese, one took offense and began attacking the new arrival. The honking of the attacking goose was very loud. Others started honking as the one chased the other through the grasses and cattails.
It soon became obvious that the goose was trying to drown the newcomer. The newcomer scrambled as fast as possible to get away but couldn’t get enough clearance to take flight. They came closer and closer to the boardwalk, where I was now standing.
They were close enough that I pulled weeds and cattails to try to knock the aggressive goose off the newcomer. They were right beside the dock when I put down the camera and laid down on the boardwalk. If I could reach far enough, I would grab the aggressive goose and hold it long enough to let the newcomer get away.
I could not reach, so I continued to pull all the weeds and plants within my reach to throw at the aggressor.
At this point a husband and wife came running up to where I was laying on the boardwalk. They thought I had fallen and came to help. The husband told his wife to run back to the land to get rocks and sticks. Even though the two geese were next to the boardwalk, they were still out of his reach. He began to pull weeds to throw on the aggressive goose, while we waited for his wife to return. It was distracting enough to give the newcomer a chance to get his head out of the water to be able to breathe.
The wife came back with lots of rocks and sticks. He had an accurate aim and finally got the aggressive goose’s attention. The aggressor backed off, but as soon as the husband stopped throwing rocks, it came back to attack. With his accurate aim, the husband soon had the goose retreating several yards away. Every time the aggressor would start back, he would act like he was going to throw another rock. Each time the aggressor would stop and move farther and farther away. Finally, it joined its mate near the spot where the altercation began.
The couple had to leave. They left a pile of rocks and sticks for me. Slowly the newcomer began to move. He followed along in the water as I walked to the west end of the boardwalk. There were areas between the cattails where he could find refuge and hide from the aggressive goose.
Every time the aggressor started towards the boardwalk; I raised my hand as if to throw a rock. At last, the aggressor and its mate swam towards the other side of the pond. The badly hurt goose found his way to where the water ended and the marsh and land began. Going a little bit further to the west, he was able to reach a break between clumps of cattails and land where any movements from him would be hidden from the aggressor.
It was with sadness, I watched him slowly get out of the water to a marshy spot. I now know what a drunk goose would look like. If I could have gotten my hands on him, I would have taken him to the Veterinary Medical Center at the University of Minnesota. I had to be realistic. It was getting late and if I stepped into the pond with the thick silt on the bottom, it would be me that needed rescuing. It seemed to me that even though he was in a protected spot, it would be a miracle if he lived through the night. At least I knew where to look for his body.
I went back to the bench and watched and waited until sunset to see if the aggressive goose tried attacking again. He did not.
September 15, 2022
The day after the attack, I found Mr. Goose hiding behind a log near the eastern side of the boardwalk. He had trouble balancing. When I went to pick him up, he found enough energy to evade me. At least he was in an area with plenty of easy to reach food.
September 16, 2022
Day two after the attack, I found him laying in some weeds very close to shore. Almost close enough to grab. Again, he got up to move away. The poor goose had trouble keeping his balance and looked like he was going to fall over with every movement he made. It made me wonder if this goose had a migraine on top of the other injuries its suffered.
September 20, 2022
I continued to visit the preserve every day to see if he was still there. After four days, I figure either he had left or had died. Yet, there he was, asleep in the marsh spot amongst the weeds on the west side of the boardwalk. I recognized him by the missing tail feathers and injured neck. I watched for quite a while, waiting to see movement. At last, the goose moved his head. It had survived another day. Its odds were getting better that it might heal in time to fly south.
September 22, 2022
Two days later, he was easy to find back on the east side of the boardwalk. He was moving much better and swimming more upright. His feathers seemed in much better shape and he was moving his neck easier. He seemed nervous and hid in the weeds whenever geese flew over honking.
September 26, 2022
It has been almost two weeks since the attack. I didn’t expect to see him still at the preserve. He was moving much better even though his neck was still swollen. He was back near the east side of the pond where it was easier to reach food to eat. He didn’t flee when I talked to him. Nor did he come closer. He did at least look in my direction.
September 27, 2022
He swam over, nearer to the boardwalk where I was sitting on the same bench as the day of the attack. At first, I was thinking it was another goose. Then I seen his eyes and thought the attack and near drowning left him blind. But he kept turning his head as if looking at me. I took some photos and watched as he slowly swam toward deeper water. He started honking like geese do before they take off. It was a weird laryngitis type honk. He started moving, running along the water but barely got in the air before landing back in the water near the spot where he was first attacked. Soon he was on the other side of the cattails and out of sight. I continued to look for him every time I went to the preserve until the first of December.
Although I never saw him fly, I never saw a goose lying dead anywhere in the water. I like to think that after that September day that I saw him attempting to fly, he found his wings and headed south for the winter.
