Lonely Days Finally Over for Solo Canada Goose?

A confident Cago (front) with mallard and now two goose pals at Harlem Meer in Central Park last night.

Her lonely days may at last, be coming to an end.

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For the past two nights, I have arrived at Harlem Meer to find a small flock of three geese roosting together on the fenced in grassy area near the Dana Discovery Center.

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But, it is actually the pair of skittish geese who flew in a few days ago and Cago.

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Cago, the "loner" goose who escaped into the Meer in late June and who has spent nearly three months grieving the loss of her own family (or mate), learning to live with a bunch of raucous ducks and dealing with rejection from other geese has seemed to finally find acceptance with her own kind.

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The change in Cago's demeanor is subtle, but nevertheless, remarkable.

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No longer the scared, lowly, "walking on egg shells" goose who looked to humans and ducks for any sense of acceptance or security, Cago appears to have taken on a welcoming, guide and leadership role to the newly arrived and similarly nervous goose pair.

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One cannot be sure, but I am guessing the new geese might actually be youthful siblings who perhaps separated from their parents for the first time over the summer. (Goslings usually stay with their parents for a year.)

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Or, like Cago, they could be survivors of USDA goose culls conducted throughout New York City over the summer.

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Whatever the case, it seems unlikely the new geese are actually a mated pair as the one time a mated pair showed up at the Meer (a few weeks ago) they were typically rejecting towards Cago and ran her off.

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For the moment, Cago seems to be enjoying her new role as "mentor" or "guide" and the two newbies appear to respect her knowledge of the Meer and are following Cago's lead.

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(It also appears that Cago is older than the other two geese and they may appreciate and honor her maturity.)

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In thinking back on the surprising way Cago confidently walked up to me a couple of nights ago and gently brushed her bill across my face (i.e. "goose kiss") I wonder now if that was Cago's way of telling me that things were finally going to be OK?

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If, for some reason the new geese decide to leave the Meer (as all the other geese have over the past month), I believe Cago will go with them.

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She may have become a personal favorite of mine over the past two months (as well as a cheap baby sitter for feisty mama mallards and sentry companion to the domestic ducks), but above all else, Cago is a goose.

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I had been hoping that Cago would eventually find another goose gaggle to become part of and that day finally appears to have come.

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Perhaps that was the real message the other night -- a message that might have meant gentle goodbye.

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But, for the moment, the three geese are still at the Meer.

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And, I am hoping Cago and her two new flock mates may stay a while. -- PCA

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