Gone is the goose of Quidi Vidi, dead at unknown age
'There's room for a goose here at the lake now,' says bird watcher
He had a lot of names, and he chased a lot of people.
But whether you called him Gary, Michael or even Bruce, Quidi Vidi Lake is without its biggest personality after the famous neighbourhood greylag goose died over the weekend.
His cause of death is unknown.
Gary — if that's what you called him — came to be known around the lake for having a bit of a grumpy streak, often chasing rowers who were out for a paddle, walkers, joggers and even — fearlessly — their dogs.
But he also had a soft spot, and would take resident ducks under his wings for a float along the shoreline, all while attempting to court female Canada geese.
"It's no different than somebody telling me it's only a dog or it's only a cat. All life deserves respect and this creature came here, and he lived here, and he died here," said Jackie Petrie who had a hand in helping Gary get to the lake in April 2018.
Petrie had come across the goose running in and out of traffic in the Pleasantville area of St. John's. With the help of another pedestrian and some birdseed, the two helped Gary get back to the Virginia River, which runs into the lake.
Petrie said once Gary made his way down the river and into Quidi Vidi, he stayed for good.
"I think it's good that people know that he has died, in the sense that [people] may have some respect for what he was and what he added to life at the lake," she said.
Where did he come from?
Local birder Shawn Fitzpatrick visits Quidi Vidi Lake often to take pictures of the variety of bird life.
He has some theories about where Gary could have come from, including a local farm or even as far away as Siberia.
But two years have gone by, and no one has come forward to claim the bird, so Fitzpatrick figures they'll likely never know where it came from.
He said people were happy to see the goose, and hoping another one can fit the bill.
"We're hoping that a farmer might have another greylag, or greater white-fronted goose kicking around somewhere that they might be able to spare and drop one off overnight here sometime," he said.
"There's room for a goose here at the lake now."
With files from Gavin Simms