The Orinoco geese demand attention!
I think I've gushed about Orinoco geese enough in the past, but there's always time for more! These lovely orange-legged beauties look like butter wouldn't melt, but just take a look at this male's spur! Whilst I clean out their foodbowls and give them fresh food, he consciously takes the time to patrol up and down a few metres away. He chooses to strategically lower and fluff up his wings, exposing a small but valuable spur of protruding bone. Very scary! (or so he thinks!) He puffs as much air into his chest as possible so as to nearly double in size, and stands on tip toe. "Stay away!" he says, and I do, because this behaviour implies a very happy potential...
There are two things to notice in the above photo. Firstly their hilarious soggy preening postures, and secondly the female's rather rotund (and hidden (sorry!)) posterior! This degree of heaviness (again, sorry that you can't see) seriously implies that eggs are being laid, so whilst they were busy preening, I took a peek into their nest boxes. Lo and behold, the Orinocos have laid!
I am particularly chuffed about this due to the poor condition that the female has maintained all winter long. She has been superbly skinny despite regular worming, protein-rich foodstuffs and loads of grass. I've been ever so worried, but when we picked them up to assess their breeding potential she had the body of a body builder! What a turn around! Whatever it was; she isn't letting it hold her back, and the two of them retain the gorgeous bond that we have observed from the very beginning. She gets off the nest daily to eat, wash and preen, gently covering her eggs with a veritable mountain of her own down. Once off, they tend to spend the last 2 minutes of each opportunity just gently touching up one another's neck feathers; mutually preening to renew their bond.
In 2012 this pair produced 11 fertile eggs of which 10 goslings survived. 6 of these can be seen in all their glory in the South American side pen exhibit. Let's all cross our fingers for another bumper crop! :)
