Birds of a feather flock together... and follow a passing cyclist to safety in this feel-good picture posted to Reddit on Wednesday.
The snapshot, submitted by user "cheesedanish93," shows a good Samaritan on his bike guiding a huge gaggle of white geese across a snowy intersection.
According to the post, the cyclist prompted the feathery pedestrians with calls of "Come on, babies!"
The man's well-intentioned decision may have saved both birds and motorists a lot of heartache, but in the past, law enforcement officials have discouraged such action.
In 2009, a Fairfax County man was issued a jaywalking ticket after helping a family of Canada geese cross four lanes of traffic, according to the Washington Post.
Jozsef Vamosi said he did not feel guilty for helping the birds, and said the ticket was a small price to pay for being able to sleep at night.
But as WTMJ in Milwaukee points out, not all geese are as receptive to outside intervention. In April, a Milwaukee County sheriff's deputy got more than she bargained for when she attempted to guide a family of geese off a busy highway.
The incident, caught on camera, ends with one of the flustered parent geese lunging at the officer and knocking her to the ground. The Milwakee sheriff's department told the station that, as a rule, it is safer for officers to act first instead of forcing motorists to dodge geese on their own.
Also in April, a family of stubborn Canada geese held up four lanes of traffic in Portland, Ore., as the birds journeyed across Highway 26, KPTV reported.
Canada geese, in particular, are abundant across North America, and most wild populations are migratory, according to National Geographic. Migrant geese typically leave breeding grounds in the late summer-early fall and begin moving again in February, with peak migration occurring in March. The adaptable geese are perfectly at home in many urban environments, increasing the potential for impromptu geese crossings.
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