Father Goose
The Adventures of a Wildlife Hero
©1995 William Lishman, Photos by Joseph Duff
This autobiographical adventure follows Bill’s childhood and teenage years all the way up to 1993’s goose migration, and is a must have for anyone curious about the real story behind FLY AWAY HOME, or interested in the life of this fascinating character. The following quote is from the inside cover of Father Goose.
“Ever since he was a child watching the gulls swoop behind his father’s plough on the family farm in Ontario, Bill Lishman has wanted to experience the bird’s freedom and nonchalant ease in the air. Now after many years of dedication, ingenuity and hard work, he has achieved what many thought was impossible – he has succeeded in modifying the migratory patterns of the Canada goose.
Due to interference with their habitat, many birds are who are by nature migratory species no longer depart for southern climes at the onset of winter. Using a natural phenomenon called imprinting, in which birds of of some species follow anything they see within the first twenty four hours of life, the newly hatched birds would imprint on Lishman, his microlight aircraft and a tape recording of the insect like droning of the engine.
In October of 1993 Lishman took off from his Toronto farm in a microlight of his own design and construction. Eighteen birds followed ‘Goose Leader’ in a V-formation all the way south to Virginia. The following April the banded flock returned unaided to Lishman’s farm to greet their surrogate father. Eventually the principles learned by working with common birds could be applied to endangered species such as whooping cranes and trumpeter swans. Father Goose is the heartwarming fascinating story of a modern day ecological hero.”
Limited quantities available in hardcover or paperback from Operation Migration‘s Web site, or by contacting us at 1-800-675-2618.Proceeds from the book sales help fund Operation Migration’s current and future experiments involving endangered birds.
