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FIREFIGHTER Rich Moores feeds the brood.
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Waddle we do now, mum?
21/ 5/2008
HAVE a gander at Macclesfield Fire Station’s latest recruits...
A gaggle of geese has caused a flurry of excitement after a family of goslings hatched in the station’s yard last week.
The depot has been transformed into a temporary creche for the family of seven newborns after the proud parents descended upon the site last month.
The pair of Canada geese lovebirds, who return to their Macclesfield holiday home annually, arrived in March and have been feathering their nest ready for the little ones’ arrival.
And the firefighters, who have welcomed their new lodgers, even share their elevenses with the plucky family as they waddle beak to beak.
Jean Parr, station administration manager, said: "They come every year and had five goslings last year. We definitely think it’s the same pair coming back again.
"They come up to the door at about 11am when the lads are having tea and toast and we give them a slice of bread. They do like to hiss a little bit but if you’ve got some bread in your hand you’re all right."
And there are no signs that the family is planning to fly the nest just yet.
Jean said: "I expect they’ll be with us for quite few months. They arrive in about March and hatch about now, then they take a couple of months to grow quite big before they all fly off."
The Canada geese are just a few of the many flocks of migrating birds from North America. They have successfully bred to cover most of the UK, and despite traditionally migrating south in winter months, can been seen all year round. When they do migrate, they form v-formations and can cover up to 15,000 miles in just 24 hours.
The sociable birds remain in flocks all year round, except when they are nesting.
They have a wing span of up to 5.6ft and an average life span of 24 years, which means Macclesfield Fire Station may expect its feathered friends to return for many years to come.
But the firefighters better watch out for any more geese taking up residence on their land, the noisy birds are often considered a nuisance when grouped in large numbers, and it is thought a collection of just 50 geese produce an incredible two and a half tonnes of excrement a year.
Most recent 2 of 2 user comments
24/05/2008 at 11:35
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Nice to know the firebrigade are working hard as ever. A right cushy number working as a Fireman. Loads of holidays, spend most of the day/night lounging around or visiting schools etc, now add feeding birds to the long list of useless activities. Waste of tax-payers money. They should be doing productive work. Elevenses went out with the 3 day week, winter of discontent and Union hegemony in the 70's. Except in certain industries that seem cocooned from reality like the Fire Service. Needs sorting out.
27/05/2008 at 03:47