One of the delightful surprises of Johannesburg is that it hosts pockets of unexpected nature - like at this hotel site in Fourways, one of the northern suburbs of Johannesburg.

I've been to a number of conferences at this hotel and even at this corner of the site and never noticed that there's a beautiful dam there, and a plethora of birds. Not to mention a ridiculous number of cats - next time I go I'll try to get a photo of the ringleader who, seriously, doesn't look like a cat - looks more like a miniature lion in a long black fur coat.

Back to geese

While the scary miniature black lion (with the bell around its neck, so clearly a known perpetrator of crimes against things avian) was wandering around the cafe area while we were enjoying an after work beverage, along came a family of geese.

Perhaps I've been away from Canada too long and have lost my goose whisperer gene, however, something I had not realised about geese is that mom and dad goose share the parenting equally.

Out came the family this afternoon, and it looked like domestic paradise with two parental geese and four goslings.

The family was really relaxed, and dad came to check us out at our cafe table.

Then mom called!

You should have seen dad fly off in a flurry of feathers.

I'm not sure whether the weird lion-looking black cat was behind the drama, but I wouldn't put it past him.