Geese are a very common nuisance bird species, frequently plaguing commercial, recreational, and residential properties. Places like factories, parks, cemeteries, construction sites, condo buildings and even private properties can experience significant issues with geese. Nesting geese can become very territorial and large congregations of geese can leave a significant mess to clean up. Sometimes, common goose control techniques are not ideal (or plain impossible) and new ideas need to be put into play. For many years our company focused on three main techniques for goose control; nest and egg removal, pyrotechnics, and hazing with dogs. While all of these are still used and continue to be effective solutions for handling geese, properties with large amounts of water can be difficult to maintain when it comes to goose control.
Canada geese are a protected species under the laws of Canadian Wildlife Services; therefore, permits must be obtained to allow for the hazing and or nest and egg removal of these birds. Once a permit is obtained, Hawkeye can commence with one of several tried and trusted geese cotnrol methods. Hazing (dogs chasing geese) works as a way to scare the birds and encourage them to nest elsewhere. Depending on the property type, we may be limited to the amount of services we can provide. For example, if we are sealing with a highly populated area with a body of water, we must refrain from using techniques such as pyrotechnics. A loud gunshot-like bang can create fear for people in the surrounding areas, or even a panic. Dogs can be used in this situation but depending on the accessibility of the water and the size of the pond, this may not be effective or feasable.
The Problem
When we deal with a larger, or less accessible pond, a swimming dog will just push the geese around the pond. They may simply retreat to a different area of the pond without feeling the need to vacate all together. We decided that a new and more effective technique was needed. As we continually strive to develop new and innovative solutions, we started to experiment. And voilà!
The Solution
Remote Control Boats
Many people may wonder why geese in ponds are an issue on a property. They are out of the way of the public, right? Typically when geese are on land they aren’t wanted (and while creating gigantic messes with their feces), they are scared off by dogs and then retreat to nearby bodies of water. As soon as the dogs are gone, the geese will return to their original spot. The intention of our services is to remove the geese from the property all together and to encourage them to nest elsewhere. Therefore, when dealing with geese in a pond, that is unsafe or too large for dogs to be effective, we have found remote control boats to be an ideal solution.
RC boats in the water move quickly and create a wake, resembling that of a water mammal such as a beaver or an otter. A boat in the water can quickly spook geese and encourage them to leave the property and nest elsewhere. This is a quick and effective technique for goose control in areas where other more conventional techniques have proven to be ineffective. To prove the effectiveness of this technique, check out the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sQES1IdpkzI
Hawkeye Bird & Animal Control is your one stop shop for your geese and all other bird control needs. No matter your predicament, we will find a solution for you. Contact Hawkeye for your personalized control plan today.