Where I currently live there is just one domesticated goose who wanders about "free-range". Last year, through a series of misfortunes this male goose lost his companions & there was doubt how long he would survive. But he is very robust, this combined with lots of feeding through the long harsh winter has seen him through. In the spring some Canada geese arrived to breed on the very large pond - last year two set of goslings were successfully raised. The domesticated goose made a determined wooing of one of the females but lost out to one of the Canada Geese. Now an extraordinary thing has taken place. Instead of wandering off to look for an available female he has joined up with the breeding pair & helped raise the brood of 8 goslings. All three adults move about as a unit watching over the youngster, often with the big white goose sat next to the goslings. All three adults are fiercely protective and not surprisingly perhaps all 8 youngster are now large birds just starting to showing adult plumage.
Ver sadly - since the post was written George the goose has been killed in a RTA.
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goslings: Hakoar flickr
