Home is where your nest is, even on a busy road
Home is where your nest is, even on a busy road
It’s a busy section of Fanshawe Park Road, between Highbury Avenue and Adelaide Street, at first glance cars going by might not even notice, but truck driver Nathan Watson did during his route.
“Earlier this week I was driving back to the yard and I noticed the Dame right here, just standing there and it kind of startled me,” Watson explained.
The Dame, is a mother goose, who has chosen a concrete planter in the middle of the road as her nest.
Brian Salt from Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre said while it seems like an odd place for a nest, there is a logistical plan with this placing.
“When building their nest in a high traffic area like that, they set up a barrier to their natural predators,” he said.
Watson, among others is concerned about the mother goose and goslings that are still protectively under her.
“First thing that came to mind was, you know, if she's parked up a bed here, she can get hit by cars. It could be a car accident caused multiple accidents,” said Watson.
A mother goose has some worried about the placement of her nest along Fanshawe Park Road, between Highbury Avenue and Adelaide Street in London, Ont. pictured on Thursday, May 18, 2022. (Marek Sutherland/CTV News London)
While it’s a natural reaction to want to help, Salt says there are many reasons why you should leave the nest and the Geese alone
“The materialistic us says ‘there's something wrong with this picture.’ But in actual fact, the geese are seeing it from a whole different perspective and are much more knowledgeable above all of this,” he said.
Watson just wants drivers on Fanshawe Park Road, between Trossacks Avenue and Glenora Drive to slow down and keep an eye out for the young family as they will soon be taking their first steps.
Salt believes mother goose has been researching over the last month while sitting on that nest, and will know when it is time to cross the road.
“They know the traffic pattern,” he said. “So oftentimes, they'll move those little goslings in the cover of night so that the traffic isn't quite as great. They just seem to know, you know. “They're very, very smart that way.”
A couple of goslings were visibly moving around when mom shifted her seat on Thursday morning, meaning they will likely start to move around within a day or so.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
WATCH LIVE | U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, allowing states to ban abortions
The U.S. Supreme Court has ended the nation's constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years in a decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v. Wade. Friday's outcome is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states.

'Devastating setback': Trudeau, politicians react to overturning of Roe v. Wade
Canadian politicians are responding to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to end constitutional protections for abortion, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling the news 'horrific.'
Roe v. Wade abortion ruling raising alarms among Canadian advocates
Canadian advocates are cautioning against complacency regarding abortions protections in place in Canada, after the U.S. Supreme court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade on Friday.
Roe v. Wade: These U.S. states are likely to ban abortion
With the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to end constitutional protections for abortion, 26 states are likely to ban abortions; 13 of which are expected to enact bans against the medical procedure immediately.
'It feels so good': Alberta MP celebrates overturning of Roe v. Wade
A Member of Parliament from rural Alberta went live on Facebook Friday to celebrate a United States Supreme Court vote to end constitutional protections for abortion.
Two dead, 10 wounded in Norway nightclub shooting, police say
Two people were killed and around 10 wounded on Saturday in a shooting at a nightclub in Norway's capital Oslo, Norwegian police said.
Mummified baby woolly mammoth discovered in Yukon 'most complete' find in North America: officials
Miners working in a gold field in Yukon have uncovered what is being called the 'most complete' mummified woolly mammoth found to date in North America, officials announced on Friday.
'So scary': Flying shovel misses Mississauga driver by just centimetres
An Ontario driver is speaking out after a shovel struck her windshield while she was driving on the highway.
This is who's in and who's out of Doug Ford's cabinet
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has unveiled his cabinet for the 43rd Parliament and there are some big changes to the front bench.