By Carolyn Boston, May 23, 2019 — There is a fairly large population of geese in the area where I live. Last year, a female goose gave birth to five goslings on the roof of the building where I reside. Unfortunately, all of her babies perished because they fell into a concrete pit that houses a large exhaust system used for the building. The residents in my building watched the mother goose brave rain, snow, sleet, and severe cold weather as she sat on her eggs, keeping them warm and protecting them from the harsh elements. As myself and the residents watched this birthing play out on the roof, we marveled at her dedication and commitment to bringing her goslings into the world. It was a tragedy to see those goslings die. Many of the residents wept openly. This mother and her mate remained at the site verbally and lamented the loss of their children. We felt the parents grief as they honked in sadness for two solid weeks. Another root rose out of the gravel and concrete was a single lone free branch. It spiraled high in the air. It was a promise to the mom and dad that there would be restoration. At least that’s what we all perceived it to be. After that, the branch disappeared.
This April, 2019, the goose gave birth again in the exact same spot. I vowed that I would contact the PA Game Commission so that those goslings would not perish (tragedy would not repeat itself).
Another resident contacted them and the State Game Warden traveled all the way from Reading, PA with his daughter and crew because he said they couldn’t last another day – they would die. They rescued, at this time, all seven of her goslings. Even though these babies could not eat, they were strong and beautiful. It was a joyful experience to see the gander, mom, and the seven goslings parade off the property. Heads high and rejoicing they had a new living family.