What happens when a mother goose lays her eggs on top of a 22-storey high rise?
She may need some help getting down once they hatch. That's exactly what happened to a family of geese stuck on top of a 22-storey highrise in Burnaby on Thursday.
The Wildlife Rescue Association was called in to help relocate the five goslings and two parents to a nearby pond, according to Wendy MacDonald, one of the caretakers at the building complex.
"(It's) a good reminder to people of the community to look out for this type of thing, where … birds could be stranded on rooftops," she said.
Yolanda Brooks, spokesperson for the association, said the mother goose picked a nesting place that was a bit too safe - high enough from ground predators, but too high to get down from.
"Anything two floors and under, goslings can jump," she said, "but 22 floors is pushing it."
It's not unusual for the association to receive calls about geese and ducks in trouble this time of year.
"They go somewhere they think is safe, but then they get stuck and they're exposed with all the other birds flying and attacking them, and they can't get the goslings down and need help," she said.
Six things you can do to help urban ducks and geese
- Know your baby birds: Goslings are olive-grey, and ducklings are yellow with brown markings.
- Call the Wildlife Rescue Association at 604-526-7275 if you spot injured ducklings or goslings, but keep an eye out for their mother and don't frighten her.
- Be careful not to get too close. Goslings and ducklings are susceptible to imprinting, meaning they may become attached to you, which sounds cute but actually causes long-term behavioural problems.
- Do not feed ducks and geese human food, especially bread. Bread can cause a condition called "angel wings," which leaves them unable to fly.
- If you see baby ducks on a busy street, call your local non-emergency police line to slow traffic. Don't try to catch them. You may damage their fragile bones, or their moms may abandon them.
- If you find baby geese or ducks in your pool? Try creating a ramp to help them get out of the pool, but don't scare their mom.
