Goosy Goosy Gander!

It seems just the other day when I wrote about Pieta and the excitement of the goslings struggling out of the eggs.

Newly hatched and tiny!

And now look at them!

Swimming lessons with mum standing by!

In fact, four of them have now left home and are living within visiting distance, so Nicola can keep her eye on them and whip them home again if necessary! But they will all be fine and loved, two of them have really landed with their tail feathers in the butter. Christened Daisy and Daffodil, they are literally ruling the roost (no pun intended there!).

Pieta and her remaining white-feathered-blue-eyed child graze every evening when Nicola comes home, and wander happily between the gardens searching for their favourite snack which grows wild here in the winter. They just love 'dissles', a kind of soft thistle that has a little yellow flower. I think it tastes a bit like spinach, and they love it! So we search for it every time we go walking, and Pieta has become used to us arriving with a bunch of weeds! However, we are running out of them now as it gets hotter and drier and Emma next door has driven miles to track them down! She has been into gardens, she has found them growing in odd places, and she has been seen removing them from the public gardens at the Shopping Mall!! I am sure that people think she is stealing the plants! But daily she seems to find new caches and the geese welcome her with open wings! And the odd nip on the toes!

The Angels visiting for lunch. (Pic thanks to Rob)

The two Angels continue to live in the Baai and walk up daily to be fed and visit Pieta. In fact they now stand outside our gate and honk (so they are both females as the males hiss) to let us know that they are there and they are hungry! So in they come, have a snack and a drink and wander off again.

Alfie watching them leave. (Pic thanks to Rob)

Alfie is fascinated with them, he watches from a safe vantage point just in case their beaks are as sharp as Pieta's is. They remain nervous though and only Nicola can get close enough to touch them. A few weeks ago we saw a third Egyptian Goose in the Baai with the Angels, and we wondered whether they were breeding. They have also made friends with a lone Hadedah Ibis and seem to hang about together, even visiting Pieta!

And Basil?

Basil playing chicken far above the ground!

He stays out of their way as well, he has been on the 'beak' end a number of times now.

He watches from a very safe distance and gives me the shudders!