Goose in a Flower Pot

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I am sitting at my desk writing when I hear a loud thud. Startled I look up and discover two Canada Geese have landed on our deck railing and are climbing into one of the flower pots.

Are they thinking of using one of them as a nest, I wonder? I use them for herbs during the summer and while I had cleared them out last fall, there are lots of fallen leaves and debris still in the dirt.

Earlier, when I’d stepped outside with Beaumont the Sheepadoodle the view was limited. Misty air encompassed the world around me, rising off the river like a ghost slipping through the hallway of a haunted house leaving ethereal wisps of memory of its life gone by in its passing.

Beaumont the Sheepadoodle, oblivious to the mystical nature of the morning, padded along the grass looking for just the right spot to make his presence known.

I stood in awe.

I love foggy mornings.

Especially when they include two Canada Geese landing on our upper deck railing and taking up temporary (I think) residence. At this point, as I type, they have been standing and sitting and navigating the limited space of the pots for about an hour and a half. Which means, it has taken me that long to write this post as I have been intermittently typing and watching and taking photos and waiting and hoping to catch them lifting off.

At one point, I opened the deck door to try to get a better photo. One of them hissed at me so I quickly retreated.

Geese, I have concluded, are masters of mindfulness. They can sit and stand in stillness for long periods of time. They out-wait me.

I’m good with that. Add them to the robins who are busily building multiple nests in the beams above our lower deck and I feel surrounded by an aviary of wild things.

Mystical, magical nature unfolding its wings.

And through it all, Beau ignores the geese and instead, lays at my feet looking out the window directly towards the river. He is keeping watch over the the bird feeder along our back fence. To no avail. The squirrel has once again completed a successful raid of its seed.

The chickadees hop on the ground pecking at the droppings.

The fog has lifted.

The day has begun.

And the geese still out-wait me.

Until finally….. I wake C.C. up to come and help me get the goose to fly away — He took the string of bells hanging from the front doorknob and started ringing them. The goose was undeterred until C.C. stepped out onto the deck…

Fact is, while I think it’s lovely they came to visit, we would like to use our deck this spring and summer. Plus… I really do want to plant my herbs! I know… it’s all about me. 🙂

Update…. The goose came back… I think she likes it here!

David Kanigan! This one’s for you! To read a beautiful, poignant story about a goose and its eggs, visit – Walking. It Ain’t Disney on the Sabbath.

18 thoughts on “Goose in a Flower Pot”

  1. Definitely not a great spot for them to nest. Your entire yard would be off limits to you all. It’s a wonder that Beau didn’t at least look crossly at them for invading his space.

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  7. yes, living so close with nature and animals, is a gift – and it can be a bother! – I didn’t have one visit at my bird feeders all winter, my stock of bird feed is still completely untouched – and WHY? Because most neighbours have cats and they roam and jump and run….. so the birdies don’t dare approaching. I told all neighbours that I’ll be getting a vicious dog to chase their babies but they only laugh…. they know me and my soft heart!

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      • Sorry, not the neighbours, of course, the cats – had to go back to post and see what i did! No, we have a GREAT rapport, neighbours, their kids, cats, dogs, whatever – that was most important for me when we looked out for a rental. And you can’t live in a garden flat (we have a patio the size of the balconies above) and not be visited and sometimes bothered by whatever sneaks around outside, including kids and pets….

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      • Ah yes. The disdain of cats! So regal and sooooo mercurial in their moods. Our cat was an expert at making me feel invisible. 🙂
        The ambience of your environment sounds delightful dear Kiki. I think the ‘whatevers’ that sneak around come visit because you are so welcoming!
        Hugs my friend.

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  8. Do I hear the pitter patter of baby goslings on your deck? No matter how cute, they do not belong on anyone’s deck, let alone anywhere where humans are on a daily basis. There is a local golf course which has had resident geese for at least three decades. The back nine holes are their favourite. At an office tournament at least two decades ago, I was using an orange ball. And there was a gaggle of goslings! That was the end of my orange ball. They claimed it for their own personal use and using their beaks pushed it here and there, right into a muddy pond, reeds and all. Then they scampered away, giggling or whatever goslings do!
    Morale of the story – do help them move along away from your planters or you will have no herbs!

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    • Oh my! did you have to count the strokes? 🙂

      Yes — Charles is going to move the pots — we thought they’d given up but they just returned for a little visit — and have now flown away again!

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  9. They are beautiful, but can be intimidating at close range. That hiss is no joke. I have a healthy respect for the Sandhill Cranes that I see along my daily walk. The adults come up almost to my shoulder! They haven’t (yet) been threatening, but their sheer size gives me paus. And when they have babies, I give them an extra wide berth….. 🙂

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