'Mama Earlette': Canada goose's eggs hatch in Regina Earls restaurant's planter

Aliyah Marko-Omene · CBC News

· Posted: May 20, 2025 6:34 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

An Earls edifice successful Regina's eastbound extremity welcomed 2 egg-citing caller guests implicit the agelong weekend.

Last month, unit recovered a Canada goose had nestled up successful a planter adjacent the entranceway of the edifice and laid 7 eggs.

"It was benignant of a like, what bash I do?" said Sarah Groff, wide manager of the Earls location.

She instantly reached retired to the Wildlife Rescue Society of Saskatchewan (WRSOS) to spot what steps she should instrumentality — keeping successful caput the laws astir migratory birds.

Earls unit decided to enactment a obstruction up astir the parent and her 7 eggs to support them until they hatched.

Over the past 5 weeks, the goose calmed down and got utilized to radical coming successful and retired of the restaurant, Groff said.

Groff adjacent handed the parent twigs to assistance physique her nest.

Finally connected Saturday, 2 of the 7 babies cracked from their shells. Unfortunatey, the different 5 weren't viable.

"She had jumped retired of the nest, she got the [two] babies retired of the nest, and past we started the locomotion to the h2o down Houston Pizza."

Once they each made it down to the water, Groff released the babies into the water, with their parent and begetter pursuing intimately behind.

Groff said that releasing the babe geese was "absolutely surreal."

"We really, truly prioritized conscionable making definite they got each unneurotic and they were instantly successful the h2o and truthful happy," she said.

Bonnie Dell, enforcement manager for WRSOS, said the Earls staff's set-up could not person been immoderate amended for the "little goose family."

"She enactment up the fence, she talked to her staff, she enactment an existent information camera facing the nest and enactment up a truly bully sign," she said.

Moving a nest with eggs tin person superior consequences, Dell said.

"If she'd adjacent tried to determination the planter, it could person frightened the parent capable that she mightiness person taken disconnected and conscionable near the nest."

Removing a goose could besides effect successful a "very steep" fine, arsenic these birds are protected nether the Migratory Bird Convention Act (MBCA). 

"It is for each azygous vertebrate but fundamentally location sparrows and pigeons," Dell said.

She said for birds protected nether the MBCA, a nest tin not beryllium removed until the full nesting process is finished and the babies person flown off.

Any unwanted nests should beryllium taken down arsenic soon arsenic the parent begins to physique it, erstwhile nesting materials tin easy beryllium removed.

Dell was not amazed to perceive the goose chose to nest astatine the east-end restaurant.

She said much birds — similar geese — are choosing improbable spots crossed the metropolis to physique their nests. 

"We had much reports this twelvemonth of radical that were rather blessed to permission them successful the spot they selected extracurricular their business," Dell said.

"It's a large spot to a goose. It's up disconnected the ground, it's successful the wide open. They're ever watching for predators from supra and connected each broadside of them. So it's an unfastened area."

After a palmy nesting season, Groff said she hopes to spot the geese household again adjacent spring.

"We person Mama Earlette and we telephone the dada Earl," Groff said.

"I would decidedly accidental she's go a look of our determination and, and we consciousness very, precise honoured astir that."