THERE is a saying that truth is stranger than fiction - and the arrival of May the gosling is perhaps a good example.

At the moment, he thinks he is a bantam and spends his days following his mother around the yard at the Village Farm, in Brompton-on-Swale, North Yorkshire.

May's story began at Moulton Manor, where a mother goose laid a few eggs.

In this story, none were golden, but, nevertheless, two of the clutch were given to employee Evelyn Smith, to take home for husband Derek's breakfast.

He did not fancy them so they stayed in the fridge for a few days, and were then passed to farmer's wife Rose Wilkin.

"We have bantams who were getting a bit broody, so we thought 'why not give them the goose eggs to sit on?'" she said.

Chatting to neighbours a few weeks later, Mrs Wilkin found goslings take about a month to hatch, which meant the eggs in her hutch were probably past their sell-by date.

However, when chasing her birds off their nests, she found both eggs had hatched - and one of the goslings was alive.

"Obviously he is a bit confused about his identity, but he is whistling away to the bantam he thinks is his mum," said Mrs Wilkin.