This is the dedicated mother goose who has flown 1,800 miles just to raise her chicks in the car park of a pharmacy in the US for a decade.
Staff at the branch of Walgreens in Hoffman Estates, in the state of Illinois, wait every March for the Canada Goose to arrive and start building her nest under the shelter of the shop’s awning.
The mum, who has flown in from central Canada, lands on a patch of gravel beside the parked cars where she scrapes out a shallow nest built with grass and twigs.
And she need not worry about how she is going to feed while she sits on her clutch of eggs because caring staff keep up a steady stream of food and water.
Pharmacy manager Lisa Garlewicz explained: “I’ve been here for about three years and I noticed it when I first started, and I asked questions of the rest of my staff about the goose.
“They said that they have noticed it for at least five years and maybe even 10.”
And staff guard the nest almost as fiercely as the mum and her mate.
Lisa said: “We tell everyone not to go near her so she remains safe and undisturbed.”
Staff and customers have to keep an eye out for the mum’s mate who keeps a watchful eye over his family
Rare Pelican Chicks Delight Zoo Fans
Lisa said: “He’s been back and forth and lately we haven’t seen him as much.
“I’m sure he’s guarding her from a different area. They have come back year after year and it’s a nice little part of our community’s store.
“It’s a nice thing that we can see and it’s really nice to see them come back.
“This year she has five eggs so that is pretty exciting, and she has five new goslings and we are waiting for them to hatch.
“Hopefully, it will be soon.”
But Lisa told how the family doesn’t hang around once the goslings are hatched.
She said: “We see them for a week then they don’t come back. We don’t know where she takes them.”
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below.
Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
The Ananova page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.
