The Goose Is Loose

[Horatio]

Great pics, Charlie! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

I hope you're not rearing those things anywhere near London...when that thing becomes an adult I foresee something like Godzilla storming Tokyo [img]graemlins/uhoh1.gif[/img]

[Epona]

I find ducks and geese quite fascinating. Their babies can walk and swim almost as soon as they hatch - I find that amazing because most baby birds are born bald, blind, and helpless, needing to be fed by their parents every hour.

[LordKathen]

Right on man! [img]graemlins/awesomework.gif[/img]

[Ramon de Ramon y Ramon]

I absolutely love geese! *dreamy sigh*

If I had been the chief of the kelts of whose approach the geese warned the Romans (I think it was in the 380ies BC), the Romans would not even have had to fight me: I would have just demanded the geese and if granted that request, spared the city and its riches and just left, contently petting my new goose.

[Cristian]

hehe a Supagoose [img]smile.gif[/img] that sounded fun [img]smile.gif[/img] cool pics!

[Charlie]

As you probably guessed Ramon X3 I too love Geese. I'm really lucky to have the river behind my workshop. I love all wildlife full stop, but me and "my" geese have a really special relationship. Last year I had nine chicks and four adults. I use a particular whistle with all the geese, they recognise it (amazing hearing they have btw) and will either swim in convoy or fly up to where I am. I was choked when they all went missing last year. A couple of months later I had to drive to a part of town I don't often frequent. Well there's a big pond there with must be a good 50 geese. My head starts thinking..."birds of a feather stick together" and I'm wondering if on their maiden flight they've seen the geese on the pond. I go to the opposite end of the lake, whistle em up and 9 break off from the heard and made their way over to me. I was overjoyed, truly. We have a great relationship. Even this year I've had some great experiences. I opened my fire exit (3 times this spring) and there's this goose standing there (a different one every time) all expectant like. Definitely one of last years babies returned. They used to charge up the path to my fire exit every morning. No bird is going to come up there unknowing.

Even this year I had 2 geese come charging up to me like old mates. I thought it was AXI & JCB who were resident at that time. It wasn't, it was Gentle and JCB returned. Really does warm you up inside. I actually stored this image some time back with you in mind Ramon, when I first gleaned you liked geese, feel free to use it if you like it.


I also picked up this goose gif with you in mind, you may have been looking for an avatar or somesuch at the time, I'm maybe wrong on that though. Again, feel free to use. [img]smile.gif[/img]
He looks ok on a white background, pretty crap there. [img]graemlins/awcrap.gif[/img]

Also on the river I've made acquaintance with other birds. None as friendly as the geese, but I got this beautiful bravest little mallard that kind of trusts me. (I think she's off having chicks atm, hopefully another batch of "racing ducks" is on the way. Hilarious creatures but a story for another day [img]smile.gif[/img] )

I've also got a robin that will pick up food from the water, brave little thing too, and a magpie that just lurks until he thinks I've gone. No balls magpies, he's a proper coward and a bully to anything smaller.


Then there's Psycho Coot.....

[ 05-29-2003, 09:35 AM: Message edited by: Charlie ]

[Charlie]

Then there's Psycho Coot.....
Psycho coot and his life deserves a thread of its own. Psycho Coot is the most hen pecked (no pun) husband you ever did see.

His missus just lives in this half sunk (lengthways) 205ltr barrel that's rusted and open both ends. She lives in there unmoving and just barks out orders. Her orders to Psycho Coot are simple and repetetive as a rule although she will scream at him, peck him and chase him out of the house on occasion. Mrs Psycho's orders are "stick". I know it's stick because every time she shouts at him he dives for a stick. Well here's where poor old Psycho Coots problems start. Psycho coot

has....
A - No Balance
B - No Friends
C - No Sense
D - The most resounding hatred for ducks

Not a good combination for a henpecked coot. Here's a typical example....

Mrs Coot "Stick..."
Psycho Coot dutifully goes out to get said stick. Dives on stick after stick...too fat...too thin...too long....wrong colour....wrong shape...blah blah. All the time in the background Mrs Psycho is shouting "Stick..." Eventually he finds one, "yup, she'll like this one"..."Stick...", "better hurry", "Stick...". Well, he's got a 10 inch stick in his beak and he holds it an inch or two from one end. Result = Veer towards the heavy end, can't paddle in a straight line and one end of the stick is trailing in the water. "I know, I'll hold it at the other end and that'll bring me back on course", "Stick...", "better hurry"..."Stick...", "dang I'm off course again"..."Stick...". "Wonder if holding the stick dead centre would help?" "Stick..." "No time to try". "Stick..." "Nearly there now". "Stick...". "Eh, what's that I spy 50 yards away downstream and totally out of my territory?" "Stick..." "I know I know, but I need to investigate downriver, could be a duck invasion, sure I saw one then". "Stick...". "Ok, I'll take it with me, be right back, this is important". Paddle paddle paddle......"GOOD GOD!!! It's a duck....on my river". "Stick...". "Hang on girl, I've got yer stick, you'll thank me later". "Right, I'm reckoning on a full frontal assault, run on the waters surface, bit of shouting should do the trick". "Stick..." "Shoutings out, don't want to lose me stick"."Stick...""Righto, ruffle the feathers, look big and steam in all aggresive like.....here we goooooo". "HAAA, how'd you like that eh...oy, oy....nooo, not upriver, no fair."Stick..." "You got webbed feet, I haven't. I chase downstream not up. Well I'm gonna have to take off and steam you proper now...screaming and everything""Stick..." "Sorry love, we all got to make sacrifices." "Not me bleeding Stick..." "I can't hear you, I'm in Psycho rage....check one...bandit 4 oclock...or is that 10 oclock? I always get those confused...no matter....splash one duck." "Pesky ducks, that'll teach em....little victory jig, preen meself, make meself look all smart for Mrs Coot...she'll be so proud, no ducks round here." "Hi honey, I'm home." "Where's my Stick..." "But there was this du..""Stick..."..."D'OH".


I'm A Psycho I Am...I Am. Just Look At Me, I'm A Mean Mofo...No Doubt.

PS. Every time it rains the barrel home gets flooded and the whole home rebuilding process restarts.

[Epona]

LOL Charlie that is hilarious!

Ducks and geese are among my favourite birds - I love to go feed them in the park - I come over all childlike and excited when they quack at me!

I love hearing stories about yours. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Ramon de Ramon y Ramon]

Charlie, I can hardly tell you how envious I am of you for that fantastic aquatic birds' refuge you have yourself there behind your workshop. [img]smile.gif[/img]

While I do love geese, I unfortunately have not had much opportunity to see and watch them with my own eyes. I have always lived in big cities and at least here there are hardly any geese in public parks and such. There are plenty of ducks, above all mallards, which I like a lot for their peculiar way of always looking so extremely pleased with themselves, swans and occasionally also coots.

Thank you very much for the photo (is it of Gentle, right? To which (sub-)species does she belong?) and the very beautiful gif image, which I will surely use somewhere in a signature. That has been awfully kind of you. [img]smile.gif[/img]

And Epona is right, your "Psycho Coot" story was absolutely hilarious! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

Speaking of coots: Some years ago, I was sailing with some friends on some Duch lakes (Loosdrecht). For our lunch break we had stopped at a small island, where there were also a number of coots about. We were having a picnic and I was sitting there, cross-legged, holding a sandwich in my left hand, with that arm resting on my left thigh. I had raised my right arm to drink from a bottlewhen I felt a touch on my right thigh ... and then I was just stunned when I realized what had just happened: apparently, one of the coots had just waited for the exactly right moment, when I was distracted, had then dashed up to me, hopped onto my thigh, had reached in under my arm and torn a big chunk out of the sandwich I was holding in my hand! I just could not believe how clever and daring that little bird had been!

Now, if that coot had been your "Psycho Coot", he probably would have mistaken my thumb for a beautiful whitish stick ... and would still be dangling from my hand as I type this.

Finally, did you name "Lonely" before or after she turned into a "hen fatale"?

[Charlie]

LOL, I happen to know you like these....



Again, I picked these up with you in mind some time back. If you ever want to use one just say the word.