Pelican ring no. H1257

26 May 2009

Pelican found -- died about four days ago.
Ring number H1257. Ringed on Dassen Island in 2005. (4 Years ago)
It has been seen on a pig farm near Tygeberg about ten times.

Mother Goose Died

Mother Goose, our resident Egyptian Goose, started making her nests on Commodore's point, about eight years ago.

Every year she would delight us with the antics of her chicks. We loved watching them grow up and move on. Mother and Father Goose remained to breed on the same spot every time.

Their nest often got flooded after heavy rains. Sometimes her eggs would disappear either through human or animal interference.

This year her first attempt to breed failed because the eggs got stolen. The next two nests got washed away after heavy rains.

Out of desperation she decided to build her nest higher up for a change. We all thought it was a good idea.

They got so tame that they used to come right up to the gatehouse asking for food. The guys at the access control gate would put some food out for them in the mornings.

Last Thursday 9 Oct. she did not come for her food, which was not unusual when she is on the nest, but Clinton, my co-worker, noticed that Father Goose was behaving strangely. He was not guarding the nest. He went to investigate and made the gruesome discovery. Mother Goose fell prey to a predator.


Photographs by Wally (Oct 2008)

• Mother Goose on her last nest.
• Mother Goose fell prey to a predator.

VIEW MORE MOTHER GOOSE PHOTOGRAPHS HERE