'We haven't seen anything like that before': Vancouver Island goose tries to hatch eggs on iPhone

METCHOSIN, B.C. -

Despite struggling to hatch from her egg, and requiring hand-feeding to stay alive, the runt of this gaggle of geese is thriving in a remarkable way.

"She’s been an interesting one this year," Sava Bell smiles, while the goose he named Tiny stands beside him.

The 16-year-old says Tiny is unlike any gosling he's raised before.

"She’s the friendliest of all the geese," Sava says, before showing me how the bird likes to sit on his lap.

Sava couldn’t help but wonder if Tiny's personality might help him win big at the local agricultural fair.

His last gaggle of Sebastopol geese was named "reserve champion," which Sava says is "a fancy name for second place."

While the road to this year’s poultry podium may include daily jogs along the driveway with Sava’s dad, followed by countless cuddles on the lawn, there is one thing they can’t practise for: Tiny’s appearance.

You see, the sort of Sebastopol geese that win first-place ribbons are pure white with a chest full of curly feathers. Tiny is a bit grey in the back, a bit flat up front.

“Oh well,” Sava says. “I care more about the personality of the goose.”

Tiny’s personality revealed itself in an unexpected way when Sava and his dad were lounging on the lawn the other day with their smartphones laying beside them. The geese started nibbling on the phones.

"And then Tiny came up to the phone and started nuzzling her chest on [the phone] like a mother goose would," Sava smiles.

And then Tiny sat down on top of it, before gathering grass and twigs to build a nest around it.

"We haven’t seen anything like that before," Sava says.

Sava says geese don’t usually demonstrate maternal instincts until they're at least a year old. Tiny's only a few months old.

"We were shocked," Sava laughs.

They were so surprised they didn’t think to capture it on camera until the next day.

That’s when they put a picture of eggs on the phone’s screen and recorded Tiny plopping down on top of it, seemingly trying to hatch them. They posted the video on their TikTok account.

"She's such a caring little friendly goose," Sava smiles. "So it would make sense that she would want to care for eggs, whether they be real or virtual."

It would also make sense that — no matter how she ends up being judged on her looks — Tiny is already being considered a winner for her caring actions.