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Emily, the Borders goose, was injured during a storm last month. (Photo Submitted)
Things don't always work out as planned, but they work out nonetheless.

That is the lesson some York County residents can glean from the trials of a goose named Emily, who took up residence in a Borders book store parking lot only to lose would-be goslings and her mate.

The Canada goose was injured last month, but she has recovered and was released Sunday to resume her life, said Teresa Deckard, director of Bird Refuge of York County, a nonprofit.

Emily made her nest in mid-April in the lot off Whiteford Road in Springettsbury Township. Borders' employees did their best to protect the young family, erecting orange cones and posting signs to alert patrons to look after her.

Employees said then they believed if humans let her be, the goslings could hatch and make their way to a nearby waterway to begin their lives.

But Emily took flight during a spring storm, struck power lines, fell to the ground and injured her spine. She was unable to stand, but managed to make it back to the nest and the eggs -- then cold, damp and muddy.

Borders' employees contacted Deckard, who moved the goose and her nest. Emily was given pain medication and an anti-inflammatory drug and placed on her nest to keep her calm and to further any chance for the eggs to hatch.

As days passed, Emily lost interest in the eggs, sensing they were not viable, Deckard said.

Still, the young would-be mother continued to heal. In recent days, she'd begun to stand. Then she walked, albeit

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unsteadily.

She began to flap her wings over the weekend, which signaled her desire to return to the wild.
So she was taken to a private, rural pond surrounded by meadowlands and woods -- an area free of power lines and parking lots where she stands a better chance to continue healing.

She left within minutes of arrival at the site.

Her gander likely met another goose. She likely will find another mate, if not for motherhood this season, certainly for next.

Deckard said had the Borders' employees not stepped in to help, Emily likely would have died. When they noticed she was struggling, they did the right thing by calling Bird Refuge for expert assistance.

Borders' Operations Manager Steve Sagar said he and the others are just happy to hear that she has recovered.

"We're glad to know she's back out there and just hope she finds a new fellow," he said.

-- Reach Kathy Stevens at 505-5437 or kstevens@yorkdispatch.com.