You Can Take a Goose to Water...

A couple of months ago some friends of mine from London ventured out of the city in order to visit me at Newhouse Farm. James and I kept them busy by getting them to help us turn a vast pile of steaming compost, and also to help us dig a large pond for the geese. For those of you who are new to this blog, these were the very same geese that I raised from egg to adult and who have pulled on my heart strings a number of times, so I have a large amount of affection for them. They live on a grassy slope next to the farmhouse, and until now their only source of water has been a large plastic tub which I've topped up with fresh water on a daily basis. When the geese were little the plastic tub suited their needs well enough, but now they're fully grown the tub was nearing the end of its lifespan and a new source of water was urgently needed.

The geese had developed a habit of 'chewing' the rim of the plastic tub so that it was slowly weakening and starting to disappear. Whenever I was sat in the room we use as an office at the farm I could hear the geese gnawing (as much as any animal with a beak CAN gnaw!) away at the tub, the sound of beak on plastic having the same effect as fingers down a blackboard. And when the geese weren't gnawing at the tub, the two male geese would try to climb in it as some sort of high status thing. The tub certainly wasn't big enough for the both of them, and after a fair amount of pushing and shoving a fight would always break out between them. One male goose would try to grab the tail feathers of the other male goose, who in turn would try to grab the tail feathers of the first male goose. Once both their beaks were locked on they'd start chasing each other in a never-ending circle, whilst the 4 other female geese would watch and honk loudly as if they were shouting "Fight, fight, fight!"

So when my friends came to visit this seemed like the perfect opportunity to end the hullabaloo over the plastic tub by providing the geese with an impressive pond. We each grabbed a pick-axe and a shovel and took it in turns to hack away at the earth, cheering each other along as we dug the hole deeper and wider. Eventually the pond was complete and ready to be filled. There was no source of water on the slope where the geese lived, so we decided to run a long length of hose from the ram-pump at the bottom of the valley, which would pump the water magically uphill to the pond from the stream below. The pond filled up, my friends cheered, but once the water supply from the ram-pump was switched off the water in the pond drained away again. The earth we'd been digging in was thick with clay, so James and I had hoped that this would be enough to hold the water. But, alas, it seemed like we'd have to line the pond after all. Disappointed, my friends left for London.

Fast-forward to today and the pond has been lined with plastic and filled with water from the ram-pump once again and looks pretty impressive. We've decorated it with logs and rocks and willow plants, and made a smooth area with pieces of broken paving to help the geese get in and out. It's virtually an eco swimming pool. If I were a goose I'd want to go in it. Sadly, the geese don't seem to be of the same opinion. They won't go in it. In fact, for several weeks they wouldn't even go anywhere near it! They were scared of it: the pond was something new and therefore potentially dangerous so they opted to steer clear. Several days passed by as the geese eyed the pond, honked at it, but refused to dip their webbed feet in the water. Eventually Dick and I lost patience. Like a pair of sheep dogs we attempted to herd the geese into the pond. Of course, this plan was NEVER going to work. The geese made several attempts to escape between our legs and when we eventually did manage to herd them into the pond there was a great deal of flapping, honking and splashing and the geese charged out of the pond as if we'd made them enter the bowels of hell. Oh dear! It seems you can take a goose to water, but you can't make it swim!

NB: I am aware that geese are creatures of habit, or creatures with very little brains depending on your point of view. They can take a long time to change their behavioural patterns when presented with something new, as was the case earlier this year when we extended their grazing area and they refused to explore their new expanse of grass for several weeks. But I'd have thought swimming might've been something the geese would be looking forward to. After all I used to take them on expeditions to the stream when they were little where they'd dive bomb the water and swim to their hearts' content. So if any of you have any tips as to how to tempt a timid goose into the water I'd be delighted to find out. However if your suggestion is to put on a wet suit and flippers and try to tempt them in that way, I don't want to know... I may have the nickname of Goose Whisperer, but I'm not going to try anything too stupid!