SideKick's Web Page
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SideKick's Web Page |
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Once upon a lake... Spring, 2003 - For the very beginning of the story I must rely on neighbors who were here at the time. Sidekick was born on Easter Sunday, 2003. She was one of several goslings that were born in the woods near the lake. Before the gosling ever reached the age to fledge, it was apparent that something was wrong with her right wing. We see that as a young adult goose, about 1/3 of the wing's feathers is missing at the wingtip. Three conflicting explanations circulate as to the cause:
Instead of a broken wing, Sidekick may have a deformity called "angel wing" in which the tip of the wing structure rotates outward. It can be caused by improper diet when young or by injury. Since Sidekick's siblings were okay, an injury is more likely than a nutrition problem. Whatever the cause, the community has adopted the goose as its own, evident by the various names people have given it: Max, Sidekick, Napoleon, Lefty, Charlie, and others. Sidekick is the name I gave her, because:
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Sidekick and Friends Spring, 2006 - Sidekick has a sweet and timid nature. She is very trusting of people, sometimes eating from the hand of a newcomer to the lake. She gently eats the corn, bread, or whatever from your hand or cup without biting at all. She cleans up, too, including the slightest crumb that drops from your hand. In this sense she is the tamest goose on the lake. What's more, Sidekick is the only goose here who knows her name. She will actually turn around 180 degrees and walk to me when I call to her. Sidekick's trust of humans does not transfer to other geese. She constantly looks around while eating to see if another goose is approaching. Even if a particular goose 20 feet away looks in her direction, that may be enough to scare her away from the food. This degree of paranoia causes her to have an eat-and-run approach to feeding from humans. When the other geese have flown away to roost for the night, I can finally feed her, uninterrupted. Sometimes when I bring her cracked corn or whole corn in water, she will begin a continuous mumble-honk sound, like a tiger purring or a pig in a mud wallow happily grunting. When Sidekick first began to sit near me on the bank, she would often preen, nap, and otherwise ignore me—or so I thought. After all, a goose benefits explicitly when we feed them. But just one's presence alone provides protection and company (subtle or implicit benefits). For prey animals, protection is huge. When a goose is within reach but has its back to us or its eyes are closed—that's trust. When I get up to leave, Sidekick often returns to the water for protection if no other geese are around. Sidekick can use her wings to assist in running, as when she escapes another goose that is harassing her. In the winter and spring most of the geese leave each night to roost elsewhere. First, the geese line up on the banks of the lake and begin signalling by honking steadily about once per second. They may leave all at once, or in two or three groups. Afterwards, Sidekick is alone at the lake some nights. But sometimes two ducks will roost with her, or perhaps two geese as well. Since Sidekick is here at the lake year 'round, she is the resident innkeeper of the lake. Early in the morning she begins honking to call in other geese to help them find the lake. Most of the geese arrive by 10 AM and stay for the day. However, they do not always accept her into their groups to graze, feed, or preen. Nevertheless, Sidekick stays nearby and often acts as sentry for an undeserving flock. Positioned at the end of the flock, she will honk at the slightest threat (dog, etc.) that enters the lake area. One day toward the end or March, I noticed that Sidekick was acting strangely. She was walking around by herself and honking as though she was missing a goose friend. Later that day, I saw her new boyfriend. Indeed, he was a true prince charming. His body was as big as a watermelon, clearly the biggest goose on the lake. His feathers were so perfectly in place that they looked like fish scales. Sidekick began behaving like a perfect gander's wife. She would honk with Prince Charming and follow him everywhere. Practically overnight, Sidekick had lost her timid nature. With her powerful gander at her side, she could enjoy goosing the other geese with wild abandon. After three years of timid living, it was easy to tell that she loved this newfound power. She even became tolerant of being mildly goosed by the gander. It's the typical display ganders have when they use their wife as a stand-in punching bag to show the other ganders how tough they are. Prince Charming would even roost on the lake with Sidekick for a night or two, but when he flew away to roost at another lake, Sidekick was left behind. She would try to join him and sort of glide/fly off the bank. But, Sidekick's right wing cannot develop enough lift to fly. So, she veered downward and to the right, splashing into the water as Prince Charming flew off into the sunset—truly a sad sight to behold. The next morning, Prince Charming would arrive again to be with Sidekick. It seemed like there was a good chance she had found her mate. But after a few days, Prince Charming arrived with another female who eventually won the role as mate. It will be difficult for Sidekick to attract a mate since she cannot fly. But, hopefully there is a gander out there just for her. When Uno arrived at the lake, Sidekick became an adopted family member. She apparently enjoyed being in the zone of protection provided by Uno's hyper-vigilant parents. Perhaps Uno's parents appreciated her presence as Uno's nanny, giving them a rest from constant parenting. As Uno has grown enough to be more on its own, the need for a nanny has diminished as you might expect. Let's see who becomes Sidekick's next friend at the lake. |
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Summer, 2006 - During molting season Sidekick seems to be better integrated into the flock. Perhaps the captive audience of 20 geese for two months has had time enough to accept her. Or, maybe they understand her a bit more since they are now grounded, too. When Sidekick began molting, her new growth of quills on the broken wing acted as a bundle of bluish pencils that clinked together when she flapped her wings. Then, the emergence of feathers made the wing even more conspicuous and floppy. But Sidekick proudly preens her feathers every day, flight-worthy or not. After the other geese have left to roost for the evening, Sidekick strides up the bank to sit with me and my friends. There doesn't have to be food to offer; she just enjoys the company. Recently she gave us four (4) hugs within a 1-hour period! After all, she's the sweetheart goose of the lake. |
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Fall, 2006 - During October I was out-of-town for a week's vacation. Upon my return, I stopped by the lake right away to see how Sidekick was doing. She gave me three goose hugs in less than an hour's time. Even though some of my friends had been feeding her (and the flock) during my absence, she obviously missed me while I was away. Now, that's a true Sidekick. |
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Copyright 2006-2007 Bruce Beverly. All Rights Reserved. May be used elsewhere only with written permission from author. |
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