Perhaps they’re just a touch suicidal, but the flocks of Canadian geese who frequent the lagoons around Redwood Shores display a quite alarming disregard for cross traffic. If it’s time to cross the street, they’re prepared to do it regardless of how many cars may be advancing, at one speed or another, down said street.
But here is the interesting part.
These same drivers who aggressively and (it must be said) annoyingly dart around each other endlessly jockeying to get just one car length ahead of where they started show remarkable consideration where our feather friends are concerned. This morning a straggler ended up far behind the rest of his buddies and was torn between awkwardly lumbering across the street in spite of oncoming traffic or be further separated from his flock. He chose to risk the cars.
Let’s flash back to our impatient commuters who have to speed around anyone who isn’t going 30 mph over the speed limit . Let’s remember how rushed they are and willing to rudely cut off fellow travelers for the sake of what can really only be maybe 30 seconds to a (generous) minute gained.
Did Mr. Goose Canadian somehow intuit that the drivers would brake for him? Because brake they did. Traffic across both southbound lanes did not just slow, but stopped altogether to allow his safe passage. And seemed to all appearances to do so unbegrudgingly.
On your way bird brain.
