Geese making a ‘V line’ for Cullybackey home!

Speckle-breasted song thrushes are always a joy to hear and the outdoors wouldn’t be half so great without the appearance of a robin come the winter time.

But would you want to wake up each day to the sight and sound of more than two dozen wild geese outside your door?

That’s what one family in the Cullybackey area have been experiencing for the past three years but, as self-confessed animal lovers, the uninvited visitors haven’t managed to ruffle their feathers too much. Northern Ireland and the wider GB has a considerable population of wintering species of geese and swans because of its mild winters and, locally, evidence of this can be seen in ponds, dams and other public water features such as those at ecos and the People’s Park.

The hosts in Cullybackey believe their skein could be flying in to them each day from one of those Ballymena locations and have been particularly attracted to their pond.

“They just started to come about three years ago and they’ve come every day since unless it’s really bad weather, like when we get the heavy snow,” a member of the family told The Times. “It’s amazing because you can see them pairing themselves up. Last year a pair had two young ones and this year another set of parents had seven young ones.

“They all stayed around until they were able to fly but they still come back to us now with the rest every day. It’s wonderful!”

Even one of the seven goslings which is unable to fly enjoys ‘the good life’ at Cullybackey.

“We have two white geese of our own and they’ve adopted it. They look after it well,” she smiled.

The householder added that all their feathered friends are free to roam around their land.

“They graze on the lawn and feed in the field with the donkeys or just settle down somewhere. They go where they like.”

Such a free-range lifestyle, however, produces one rather widespread problem.

“That’s the only downside - clearing up after them,” she said.