The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens is a pomp-packed place that's well-known for its fabulous array of flowers, sylvan spaces, exquisite paintings, and memorable cultural events.
And geese. Lots and lots of wild geese.
Goosery, in fact, can become a central topic when one visits the San Marino gardens, thanks to the beautiful birds that glide majestically across the lake at the heart of the Chinese Garden or waddle along the pathways near the Huntington Gallery.
And while these lovely, long-of-neck animals are a sight to behold, an entry sign wisely advises garden visitors to give any wild geese encountered around the 130-acre expanse a wide berth.
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The Huntington also celebrated its avian icons on April Fools Day 2022 by claiming that the institution's new name would soon become "The Goslington," in honor of its winged residents.
But the goslings making Huntington headlines as April concludes are quite real, or, fingers crossed, will be soon: A goose's nest was recently spotted on the roof of a building on the property, in a spot that could only be deemed as "hot," especially when springtime heat streaks translate into toasty San Marino afternoons.
The Huntington team has become well-known for its creative and gentle dealings with nature — after all, many critters call the world-famous gardens home, from rabbits to owls to the occasional chatty pandemonium of wild parrots — and an employee sprung into action soon after the nest's hot spot was spied.
"Heartwarming goose content for Monday: when a goose mama built her nest on what turned out to be a very hot Huntington rooftop, Botanical staffer Andrew rigged up this umbrella to keep her and her eggs cool," the garden revealed in a sweet post on social media.
The Huntington team is not sure when the mother goose's eggs might hatch, but it was confirmed that staffers are "egg-cited!" and keeping an eye on the nest from a respectful distance.
If fuzzy little goslings do emerge from this clutch, and staffers at The Huntington are able to snap a furtive photo or two of the hatchlings, we may soon squee them, or, erm, see them on the landmark's social feeds.
Keep an eye here for more "Heartwarming goose content" in the days ahead.
As for visiting peaceful, flower-laden, rose-tastic land o' shrubs, scenery, and nesting goosery in person?
Advance tickets are available on The Huntington's site, and reservations are required on weekends and holidays, in addition to tickets.
