tales for dreamers: don't feed the hungry goslings

There are boards everywhere that declare in bold, uppercase letters: DON’T FEED WILDLIFE.

That includes these lovely goslings, but visitors to the lakeshore ignore the warning when it comes to the fluffy, downy, little yellow birds.

What harm would it do? Just a handful of cracked grains. Anything to get them to come closer to you, perhaps allow you to stroke their oh-so-soft heads, as they peck hungrily at the grains in your outstretched hand. 

Most visitors heed the warning, not necessarily because a human being had planted it in plain view, but because of the adult geese standing watch over their little ones. They’ll come squawking and screeching at you, flapping their wings in distress and annoyance, to shoo you away from their little ones.

But even the adult birds are not immune to the lure of easy food, especially in these times of overpopulation.

After an initial hesitation, they get accustomed to the free meals you so gladly offer.

It’s not all that bad a thing — the way you reach out to them for connection in a lonely world, and the way they respond to the sight of grains in your hand.

But be wary of the day when you come empty-handed. They’d be utterly disappointed in you, and they won’t hesitate to express it. Hissing squawks, angry flaps of their wings, and annoyed pecks that hurt. 

Why do they express annoyance when they never showed any gratitude? You wonder. 

One of the little ones says wisely (and you’re startled at first to realize that they could speak and you had no idea all along), “You shouldn’t expect of others what you don’t expect of yourself, isn’t it?”

And that, dear friend, is the reason they put boards warning people to not feed wildlife. It is to save people like you from the kind of disappointment you can’t handle.

Last week's image info: The warning issued in 'startling rewards for the brave' rests on a boulder by the shore of the Atlantic Ocean in the beloved Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia.