Goose builds nest, lays eggs in Walgreen’s drive-through lane, gets Reddit love
In the drive-through lane at Walgreen’s, one plucky Canada goose has built her nest just inches from the tires of passing cars, nestling along the asphalt with a half-dozen eggs.
This North Raleigh parking lot and its budding wild kingdom has drawn enough attention for a post on Reddit, where the mother-to-be goes by “The Walgreen’s Goose” and has drawn a care community large enough to put out three bowls of food and a bowl of water.
“Someone gave her a bowl of corn,” wrote one fan. “How thoughtful.”
“What is it with Walgreen’s and geese?” asked another.
But this is no sign of vanishing habitat.
Wildlife experts say geese increasingly and deliberately choose Wal-Marts, Costcos and other big-box parking lots to start their families because the commotion there scares away predators.
Coyotes. Foxes. Raccoons.
It is nearly impossible to sneak up on a goose in a parking lot — a lesson they reinforce with aggressive honks and pecking.
Carolina Waterfowl Rescue explains that goose parents have already chosen a nearby water source for relocation once the babies hatch — a sort of aquatic nursery.
A mother goose will actually plan a route for walking the newborns from parking lot to pond, according to the NC Wildlife Commission, which warns, “If you see a goose nest in a strange location, trust that they know what they’re doing.”
Gregg da Goose
It isn’t always so clear.
The same Reddit posts notes that the male in a goose pair at Colonnade Center in Raleigh is now walking with a noticeable limp.
Two years ago, Cary police rescued “Gregg da Goose,” who got tangled in some construction netting at a downtown park and struggled for 30 minutes.
And even in the North Raleigh Walgreen’s, in the safety of a drain spout, one hatchling mortality is clear from a flat patch of yellow feathers in the drive-through lane.
Even with federal protection, these avian neighbors need a watchful eye. Minivans can be predators, too.