Goose Management: Overcoming Challenges in Urban Environments with Hawkeye

The Canada Goose - a well recognized and beloved bird - is making itself at home and creating quite the mess in urban areas, even going so far as foregoing the traditional migration south for the winter. In this post we'll explore why that is and how to deal with the challenges these geese present.

Cities like Toronto or many of the towns in the GTA (General Toronto Area) are seeing a pronounced increase in year-round geese population. After all, they provide a very suitable environment for geese what with all that water and green spaces, parks, golf courses, etc. It is time for municipalities to step in and deploy a sustainable urban goose management plan.

Why Are Geese Attracted to Urban Environments?

Availability of Food and Shelter

• Parks, Lawns, and Golf courses
  Geese love open green spaces with little obstruction; it makes for easy spotting of potential predators or nest robbers. Short cut grass areas provide the perfect feeding grounds for a flock of geese.
  
  
• Natural Bodies of Water or Artificial Ponds
  Geese 'shelter' on water, particularly at night. If threatened by a predator, geese will retreat to water.
  
  

Lack of Natural Predators

Urban environments often lack the natural predators that would control geese populations, like coyotes and eagles. In the absence of these predators, geese are free to roam and successfully reproduce, allowing more goslings to survive their first year of life and creating a necessity for Geese Control and/or Geese Removal.

Adaptability to Human Presence

Geese have learned to live alongside humans quite nicely. This is in part due to humans feeding them - either on purpose or unintentionally by carelessly making scraps available to geese. Humans also rarely pose a threat; most of us are content to enjoy watching a family with adorable goslings waddle by and wouldn't think to  interfere with them.

Climate and Year-Round Habitation

• Milder Winters
  Milder winters, especially in Southern Ontario, allow geese to stay put rather than migrate. Even during winter storms, they are well equipped to deal with the onslaught of cold. They face into the wind, so that their streamlined feathers protect their underlaying insulation. Their legs and feet have tendons, rather than muscles, so they have very little fluid to freeze, thus protecting them from frostbite.
  
  
• Open Waters
  Retention ponds and artificial water bodies often don't freeze and allow for year-round access.
  
  

Major Challenges of Goose Management in Urban Areas

Overpopulation and Rapid Growth

• Lack of predators leads to unchecked population expansion.
• Urban environments provide optimal breeding conditions.
• Manicured lawns and public spaces provide excellent feeding grounds.

Health and Sanitation Concerns

• Goose Droppings
  Geese droppings not only make for a less enjoyable stroll around the park, but they also pose an increased risk of slip and fall accidents. Parasites and bacteria contaminate bodies of water (particularly smaller ponds).
  
  
• Human Health Concerns
  While gross and unsightly, goose dropping also contain and spread dangerous diseases and bacteria like E Coli, Salmonella, Histoplasmosis, Campylobacter, Coccidia, and Giardia..
  
  
• Health Concerns for Pets
  Particularly dogs may be tempted to have a go at goose poop or lap up contaminated water and end up ingesting a slew of bacteria and parasites.

Aggressive Behaviour Towards Humans and Pets

Geese live in complex social structures, mate for life, and fiercely protect their families. During nesting season, the sole purpose of the dad-to-be is to protect his mate and their nest. He will go out of his way to ensure nobody interferes with the sitting female or the eggs. He will attack pedestrians, cyclists, pets, and anything else he perceives as a threat.  And, due to his size, he can cause serious injury. Oh! And mother goose is just as vicious and may decide to take matters into her own hands. Well, feet.

Property and Infrastructure Damage

• Overgrazing
  Short cut grass makes young, fresh shoots available to geese. In fact, this is their absolute favorite source of nourishment. Of course, this damages parks, golf courses, and landscaping
  
  
• Corrosion
  Goose droppings - actually, all bird droppings - are acidic in nature and corrode building materials and walkways.

Traffic and Aviation Hazards

Aviation hazards and the threat of bird strikes are the biggest threat to human life. Airports such as Toronto's Pearson International also have large grass strips that invite geese to gather. Likewise, areas near airports are often developed with tourism in mind and offer plenty of green spaces.

Geese crossing roads also cause disruption and even traffic accidents.

Effective Strategies for Goose Control in Urban Areas

Habitat Modification

• Reducing short, manicured grass areas that attract geese and encourage both feeding and nesting. Keep your grass height at 4 inches or more. 
• Installing barriers around water bodies to discourage nesting.

Humane Deterrents and Non-Lethal Control

The goal of Geese Control is to make the birds move on. All such methods must be deployed before nests are established. Once a nest is built, the geese will return and attempt to hatch the eggs.

• Falconry
  An eagle in the air will send a message to all geese below: Do not nest here. It is not safe.
  
  
• Trained Goose Control Dogs 
  Use trained working dogs to chase or 'haze' geese and declare the area unsafe for nesting. This works best on land or in small bodies of water.
  
  
• Lasers
  Green lasers are especially effective in low light.
  
  
• Remote Operated Vehicles (ROV)
  In larger bodies of water and where dogs are ineffective, remote controlled boats have been very successful used to disburse geese. This works best at night and frightens the geese.
  
  
• Pond Wiring, Netting, or Fencing
  Smaller bodies of water can be enclosed by a 2 foot high barrier of poly goose fence 5 to 10 feet away from the water's edge. Installing netting over water or at the edge of the pond will also make landing and nesting difficult for geese.
  
  

Egg Addling or Egg Oiling

While egg oiling or addling works in terms of preventing successful breeding, it does not send a message to move on and has no long term effect. Geese will return to the same breeding grounds in the following year, even if they did not hatch eggs previously.

Public Awareness and Community Involvement

DO NOT FEED THE GEESE! Almost all cities and municipalities have by-laws prohibiting the feeding of wildlife. Additional signage in parks and other public spaces can help remind visitors that feeding geese is neither allowed nor a good thing. We want to avoid geese becoming dependent on handouts and protect their health. Human processed food does not fulfill a goose's nutritional requirements and makes for a fat, unhealthy bird.

Professional Goose Management Services

A goose management plan is a long term project and requires intervention over time and at different times of the year. No one method alone will solve your goose issues for good. 

• Hire the right Geese Management Company
  Hawkeye Bird & Animal Control has the ability and expertise to use all of the legal goose control methods - from Falconry to ROVs. Over 30 years of innovation and experience are at your disposal.
  
  
• Humane Urban Geese Control
  The goal is never to hurt the birds. Geese management is most successful when the geese determine your location as undesirable and move on. 
  
  
• Translocation
  In some cases, translocation may be warranted. Geese translocation involves rounding geese up and physically moving them. This is best done while the birds are molting and the destination must be a point on their southern migration route.

Need Help Managing Geese in Your Urban Environment? Contact Hawkeye Bird & Animal Control Today!

Canada geese are protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act 1994, and therefore actions taken to deter them from properties require a Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) Migratory Bird Permit. The best time to obtain a permit is in January and February because they can often take a while for CWS to process. Hawkeye will obtain the permits on your behalf to ensure that geese control can proceed in the most efficient way. Read more about obtaining a permit here 

Protect your green space or pond from unsightly and hazardous goose droppings and eliminate the threat of attacks by nesting geese. With over 30 years of experience with Goose Management in urban areas, Hawkeye Bird & Animal Control is here to help you put together and execute a successful, efficient, and long term goose management plan. Learn more at www.hawkeye.ca

Contact Hawkeye today! The geese are going to return shortly - the time to prepare is now!