HEATHER THE GOOSE. A Story of Friendship, Loyalty, Teamwork, and Feathers.
This is a story about a goose. It’s also a story about the bond of friendship. It’s a quick read. Later I will tell you how this story came to be.
P.S. if you are new to the goose world, a “skein” is a group of geese in flight. A “gaggle” is a group of geese on the land. (new to me too!)…
Heather winced, extending her injured wing as she exited the sky. She feverishly scanned her unexplored surroundings for a safe place to land. Her wing ached as she stretch beyond the pain to assure her decent. Coasting and searching with one keen eye and then the other she set her sight on an open embankment. With spread wings her webbed feet touched the earth and Heather skidded and toppled onto the sand.
She lay motionless, stunned, bleeding, as she instinctively listened for predators. The water tumbled in rhythm onto to the sand and then washed back out again. The air was quiet and cold. Heather lay lost and disoriented, but as the cold sand dampened her feathers, she knew she had a long way to go to rejoin her southern bound skein.
Every year, for ten years, Heather had traveled with the same skein. They were her family, her friends. Heather and her counterpart geese flew south every winter, and then returned together to their marshy northern nest in the spring. This marshy nest was where her offspring, her gosling, had hatched and grown. Her family had matured and changed over her ten years, but her mate had remained constant, and loyal. She knew he would mourn for a very long time if she could not survive this injury.
Her gang was called a “gaggle” and it was always a party when they were all together. They waddled and honked unitedly for hours, greeting each other wildly with spread wings and swaying necks. Heather’s gaggle included two other families, mates, off spring, brothers, and sisters. They were all loyal friends and all protectors of each other. If any goose or gander in her gaggle was threatened, she would attack. Heather was tough, and she guarded her friends. She knew with certainty that her friends and family would do the same for her.
Her gaggle transformed to a skein when they took flight. The three families had ascended to the sky at dawn that morning. The familiar group of travelers fell purposely into their aerial positions, staggering their dynamic union to create a V-formation against the breaking dawn. The frontline goose honked and chattered, communicating and guiding his devoted skein. His co-pilots answered back, attentively aware of the wind and weather their pilot was enduring. When their leader tired, he would fall back in the formation and a fresh pilot would take the lead. Heather’s friends and family always worked together, sharing the load, and supported each other. All the geese did.
The sound of the gun reached her after the shot did. The hunter’s aim had grazed her right wing, throwing her out of formation and stunning her in mid air. Her skein had been airborne for hours when it happened. Heather was tired, and the shot had instantly zapped all of her remaining energy. She knew she was going down. With the last of her fight she “honked” as loud as she could to her skein. Then she swerved, wobbled, and coasted towards earth, relying on her sharp vision to land her safely.
Heather didn’t know how long she had been laying motionless on the cold, damp shore. Her webbed feet pushed back the waves as she tried to scramble upright. Defeated, she collapsed back into the sand. She twisted and turned her long neck scanning every direction she could reach. She exhaled a long, hopeful “honk” to her faithful skein and then fell silent.
She could hear her surroundings better now. The rustling of leaves made her want to fly away, but she couldn’t. She heard sounds coming towards her. She could feel the earth vibrating under her body and her heart began to race. The sounds were getting closer..stronger, and she frantically began to flap her wings in an effort to fight. She ‘honked” again. Louder this time. And then she heard it. The “honks” echoed back! Like a glorious rescue song from heaven, two of her skein, two members of her family, “honked” loud and assuredly towards her.
Skidding onto the sand, Heather’s family immediately went to battle, squawking, honking, flapping, charging, and attacking the threat. When silence again blanketed the shore her fellow geese nestled close to Heather, protecting her. It was hours, maybe days, before Heather regained her strength and was able to waddle again. Her family stayed with her, loyal and devoted. When Heather could fly again they continued their journey south. The three geese took their time, landing often to rest and find food. Their purpose, however, never wavered. Their skein had traveled faithfully together for 10 years. Heather knew where they had settled and she was anxious to rejoin them. Heather’s skein, as well as generations of other skeins, share an unbreakable bond. Heather and her loyal rescuers fly south, well aware of this bond and confident that they are stronger TOGETHER.
Okay. Now you many ask. Why a goose?… Well, that story begins at dawn.
Every morning for the past few weeks I have awoke to the “honking” call of geese flying over and around my bedroom window. I hadn’t noticed the distant calls before and I remember finding it soothing. I didn’t expect to hear the geese everyday.
A week went by before it occurred to me that the geese were flying over me, on the same route, at the same time, every morning.
The following week, and I found myself waking up minutes before I could hear the faint call of the approaching skein.
I began looking forward to the flight. I imagined the geese honking and chattering among each other, in beautiful formation, just as the sun peaked over the horizon. It was a picture.
Finally I got curious. Which surprised me, mostly because the subject of birds are WAY down on my list of interests. But I googled them anyway.
I was stunned by what I discovered. These birds are pretty amazing! Yet I had always given them a bad rap. Geese, to me, were nothing more than those crazy birds that hung out in Target parking lots. I always steered clear of them because they would attack me if I got to close. (bad experience.)
Instead I learn that geese are super intelligent, loyal, and faithful. The above story is true. I decided to write it, not to sell you a card, but to offer a new perspective. Maybe we can learn something from these birds!
By the time a finished researching geese I wanted to be part of a GAGGLE! Geese bond for life, just like great friends. When they gather on the ground they are referred to as a GAGGLE. This gaggle includes their family. Yes, their mate (which they are loyal to for life), there children, and other families. They are tight with this group and they don’t stray. They defend each other, protect each other, and work as a team. For life!
This group also flies together. In the air they are referred to as a SKEIN. Their unique flying formation is smart and allows the geese to conserve energy. As the front goose (or gander) gets tired, he falls to the back and another goose takes lead position. They always have each others back. Always looking out for one another. If a goose gets injured during flight, at least two of geese fall out with them to protect them and help them. So cool!
We are STRONGER TOGETHER. This was my take away. I admire their loyalty. And I am actually impressed with how they defend and protect each other… GEESE TEAMWORK is truly impressive. Shaded Design may follow suit. TEAMWORK…LOYALTY…and the solid BOND OF FRIENDSHIP. I like that.
Here’s to the goose.
