Mother Goose Looks After 47 Babies And Ensures That They Are All Safe


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Mike Digout has never been a lover of geese from Canada. However, his perspective shifted after seeing a magnificent mother goose who looked after a huge family.

Credit: MIKE DIGOUT

Since work from home started, Digout has been taking walks along the Saskatchewan riverbank near his home in Saskatoon and bringing along his camera to capture the wildlife that lives there. That’s where he first met the geese.

“I was out every night walking on the riverbank looking for beavers and, of course, there was a lot of geese activity as they were coming from the south and looking for a place to nest,” Digout told The Dodo. “It got to be quite entertaining to watch the geese fighting over places to nest and protecting their nests.”

Credit: MIKE DIGOUT

Digout saw the first group of goslings hatching in May. “They’re so cute when they’re small,” Digout added, “like little tennis balls with legs.” “So, as I was waiting for the beavers to appear, I started photographing the goslings.”

Credit: MIKE DIGOUT

Digout was sitting among some reeds along the riverbed one night when he noticed a mother goose with a disproportionately big number of goslings. The babies began burrowing under her feathers one by one to sleep for the night, until he counted 16 fluffy bodies crammed beneath their protecting mother’s wings.

“I was astounded that this mother had 16 children,” Digout said. “I kept coming back every night seeking for this mother and her goslings.” “And it looked like she had a bigger group every day.”

Credit: MIKE DIGOUT

He counted 25 goslings one day, then 30 the next, until he found the mother geese and her partner with 47 kids. Digout discovered that this wonderful mom was caring for goslings from a variety of households. This is known as a gang brood, and it’s frequent in regions with a lot of nests, like as cities and suburbs.

Credit: MIKE DIGOUT

Gang broods are formed when especially patient parents babysit other geese’s children, giving their friends a few nights off.

And it was clear to Digout that this goose mama was made for the job: “It was incredible how calm she was with so many goslings around,” Digout said. “She seems like such a patient mom.”

Credit: MIKE DIGOUT

The goslings are rapidly maturing, and they can no longer all fit beneath their mother’s wing. They’re all sleeping in one huge pile now, and she’s keeping an eye on them.

Credit: MIKE DIGOUT

The group has since divided into three enormous family units, but this supermom and her partner are still responsible for 25 children. They’ll keep them secure until it’s time to head south again.


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