A goose has taken advantage of the coronavirus lockdown to nest in one of the north of England’s busiest transport hubs.
The proud mother, who has just laid her fourth egg, is becoming a social media star after making her home in a raised flowerbed in the middle of the main concourse at York railway station.
The area is normally crowded with commuters and tourists but it has seen just a fraction of its normal footfall over the last few weeks.
Now the goose, who has not yet been named, has settled in and is watched daily by thousands of people via a series of goosecam feeds posted by the rail firm London North Eastern Railway (LNER), which runs the station.
The firm posted footage on Twitter on Wednesday evening which said: “HONK. There is nothing wrong with your #goosecam set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture.
“There are now FOUR eggs in the flowerbed nest at #York, and it seems the station team is taking good care of Mother Goose!”
People watching the footage from the various cameras said they are now waiting for the babies to emerge.
An LNER spokesman said: “We are thrilled to see the return of the goose to York station. Interest from customers viewing our regular #GooseCam posts on social media continues to be incredible.
“We’re grateful to our customers for continuing to follow the advice to stay at home, although we expect York station could soon become home to several more guests in the coming days.”
The spokesman said staff at the station are welcoming suggestions for names for Mother Goose via LNER’s social media channels.
The goose was first spotted 10 days ago by an eagle-eyed British Transport Police community support officer who posted pictures on Twitter and said: “This afternoon PCSO Ridley was on patrol at York Train Station when he noticed this goose had laid an egg amongst the flowers in the normally extremely busy main entrance. Amazing.
“Thank you to all those who continue to support our #NHSheroes in obeying the #lockdown.”
The feathered visitor eluded station staff for a few days but they spotted her and set up their goosecam, posting: “Have you heard that a goose has laid its egg in the entrance of #York station?
“We know you’d love to visit, but please #StayHomeSaveLives and have a gander at our #goosecam to see what it’s been up to!”
