A Villager on the Historic Side of the community is enjoying a visit from some special guests.
Richard St. Amant, a longtime resident of Debra Drive who lives on the shores of Lake Paradise, has been spending time feeding cracked corn to two adult Canadian geese – and their 18 goslings.
St. Amant, who was very vocal about issues with Lake Paradise flooding after Hurricane Irma hit The Villages last September and the organizer of a group last June that tried to save 300-year-old trees from being removed for a new site-built house on Debra Drive, said it’s been fun getting to know the “interesting family” right in his own backyard.
Canadian geese, some of which weigh more than 20 pounds, are migratory waterfowl native to North America. They typically live in habitats near water or grassy/grain fields. And they enjoy feeding in manicured lawns because they can digest grass and have an unobstructed view of approaching predators.
Canada geese mate for life, with the search for a mate beginning when they are between 2-3 years of age. Their goslings are known to be very impressionable and will follow just about anything that moves, as they oftentimes think it’s their mother. They even have been known to follow ducks, dogs, and in some cases, humans.