Skip-Along's Web Page
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Skip-Along's Web Page |
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At the Fringes of the Flock Spring, 2006 - While feeding a flock of geese I try to notice the geese that, for whatever reason, do not join in the feeding. That tells to me seek them out and learn more. One day I noticed a goose that seemed to just stand in one spot in the grass. It was as if she was paralyzed. After a while, she flew a few feet away instead of walking. Then I saw that her right foot was lame. The webbing was folded like an umbrella as if she were going to tuck it away in the roosting position. But this foot was always folded and pointing down (like a ballerina tip-toe position). The ankle joint could not rotate forward, so she could bear no weight on the foot. That meant not even one step on land—incredible! The obvious question was this: How could this goose even graze successfully, having to expend energy to fly from one place to another in the grass? It certainly looked like a nutrition catch-22 situation. How could she get enough food to improve the health of her leg? Skip-along got her name from the fact that she skipped from one spot to another on the ground only by flying. On her own, she really had no chance to get any corn during group feeding time. During group feedings the next day, Skip-along remained in the water, looking wistfully up at me while the other geese ate corn in the grass. Moreover, she was rather shy and flew to the water when I came over to feed her. So, I began getting corn to her by tossing it at the water's edge. Eventually, she had her own feed tub which I also placed at the water's edge. I call this "breakfast in bed" as this goose is pampered, indeed. |
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Steps to Recovery Eventually Skip-along's foot began to improve. She could spread the webbing and bear some weight on the foot. The ankle joint does not fully rotate yet, so it causes some curling of the toes. Her walking pace has increased to about one step per second, up from one step every three seconds. She can even run for a short distance; she's well on the way to recovery. My best guess is that this is an injury situation rather than a birth defect. Skip-along has two virtues that are remarkable. The first one is patience. At feeding time, she will wait until I have fed the other geese, including Hop-along and Sidekick. Then she will gingerly step (hobble) over to me to get her corn. She also trusts me in a way that no other goose does. Not only can I feed her by hand, but she lets me shield her whole body with my arm to keep other geese away from her while feeding. When I stoop down to feed her, sometimes she hides under my knees to evade another goose that wants her corn. Skip-along is also very tolerant and brave. When other geese come near her to harass, she steps away from them at the last possible moment. |
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Summer, 2006 - Over the course of four months I have hand-fed Skip-along approximately 200 times. A gentle goose, she has the touch and trust of a kitten. She is away now during molting season, probably at her main roosting lake. I'm hoping that she will fly to visit again after getting her new feathers. Fall, 2006 - After a few months now, it appears that Skip-along has flown to another area. Unlike Hop-along, she never was one to fly to our lake by herself. So, when molting season ended in July, I believe she simply followed the leader of her flock to parts unknown. Skip-along was quite healthy (aside from the foot), so I believe she's out there somewhere and doing well. |
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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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