McLean’s cafeteria courtyard has become a home to not only the Highlanders, but a family of geese that arrived in early spring. The flock includes two adult geese and a handful of yellow chicks who mainly follow their parents around.
“The family will probably be living here for the next seven weeks until the goslings develop their wings and learn to fly,” Safety and Security Specialist Bart Bailey said.
Because of the geese’s temporary residence, the courtyard has been closed off to protect both the animals and students, due to their aggressive nature when protecting their offspring. Caution tape and signs on the doors warn students to steer clear of the courtyard, but students and faculty are welcome to admire the family from inside.
“The geese were actually at McLean last year, but they weren’t an issue because they nested on the roof,” Bailey said. “The patches of grass on the building attracted them but the construction forced them to migrate to the courtyard.”
Since geese are monogamous, meaning they mate for life, the residents in the courtyard are thought to be the same pair as last year. The faculty has opted to let the animals inhabit the area for as long as they need because they cannot legally remove the flock, which was previously attempted in 2024.
“Last year, the security team called animal control to see how we should handle the geese,” Bailey said. “We were told that we couldn’t legally remove the animals and that they would leave in a few weeks.”
Although the animals have caused the cafeteria to be more packed during lunch times due to the closing of the courtyard, the geese have brought students and faculty amusement during the final days of the school year.
“The geese are so cute, and I wish we were allowed to go outside to see them,” junior Maria Ayvazyan said. “It’s been fun being able to check on their growth every few days.”
