Canada Geese

[stuckmotor]

I don't seem to see or hear as many Canada geese as in recent years. Has anyone else noticed this? I think we might be experiencing a goose shortage.

 

[oosik]

I would agree. The goose count appears to be down. However, I've seen these fluctuations previously and have never heard a rational explanation. The swan population is also down this year.

One explanation I've heard - changing weather patterns have changed migratory routes and while seasonal fluctuations will always happen - the total numbers are still OK - they are just in different locations. ???

 

[RandyT]

Due to warmer temperatures, the water hasn't frozen over in the northern states, The geese don't migrate as long as they have open water. Just starting to see snow geese around my area, that are somewhat migrating, but we have only have temps low enough to freeze the lakes about 3 times this winter

Don't see many Canadian geese now a days. Mostly due to the fact cities like Chicago has suburbs that have small heated ponds, therefore the geese stay there for the winter.

 

[stuckmotor]

Thanks for the explanations, guys. I'm not complaining. It's been considerably more peaceful around here without the noisy beasts.

 

[davesl708]

Can't seem to throw a rock without hitting a goose here. Goose poop everywhere.
I have seen a few flying south last month but are not moving much from here till this last cold snap.

 

[smstonypoint]

I don't seem to see or hear as many Canada geese as in recent years. Has anyone else noticed this? I think we might be experiencing a goose shortage.

Have you been placing pallets in an inverted V-pattern around your property? You will recall a claim that such pallet formations serve as a goose repellent.

Steve

 

[stuckmotor]

Steve,
I haven't but, I can't speak for my neignbors. If the goose population increaces by much, I might scare up a few inverted Vs.

 

[Looking4new]

with the Canadian $ at -35% that makes our dollar worth $0.65 to the US dollar, so the Canada geese are staying at home. They cannot afford to fly south. Lucky you guys!

 

[Gary Fowler]

No shortage of them here, year round residents. When we bought the place 6 years ago there were 2 mated pairs and each year they hatched 3-5 goslings on an island in our pond but none ever left. There are dozens of small to large ponds around our place and these geese migrate from ours to neighbors daily but almost always come back to ours at night. Last count was now 42 and we have taken 5 for eating during normal goose season. Brother in Law took on 14 ducks last summer who have now cleaned out the ponds of edible weeds so the geese are not coming here so much now but we still see them daily in their fly overs. They sure get noisy during spring mating season though and this is an all day, all night thing.

 

[dmccarty]

with the Canadian $ at -35% that makes our dollar worth $0.65 to the US dollar, so the Canada geese are staying at home. They cannot afford to fly south. Lucky you guys!

:thumbsup::laughing::laughing::laughing:

Our geese are residents so they don't travel. They just seem to stay, eat, honk, poop and breed. :shocked:

I do love to to see them fly and hear their honking but they fly over/around our place so someone else has to deal with them on "land." :laughing::laughing::laughing: At work, they terrorize people in the parking lot when the stupid geese build nests in the medians. Then we play Dodge the Goose Poo getting into the building.

I have not noticed a change in numbers. I was looking at a huge gaggle of geese the other day that were bedded down in a farm field. Sure seemed like a gazillion geese in the gaggle.

Later,
Dan

 

[kcflhrc]

The FLy Way has probably changed some as well as the warmer temps. We have plenty of those nasty bastards here if you want some.

 

[stuckmotor]

with the Canadian $ at -35% that makes our dollar worth $0.65 to the US dollar, so the Canada geese are staying at home. They cannot afford to fly south. Lucky you guys!

If they manage to scratch up enough money to fly south, could you tell them to go to Mexico?

 

[buickanddeere]

Two long cold wet springs has reduced the hatch and population of all birds .

 

[nybirdman]

All geese are very late moving this year due to the warm weather up North.Saw my first flocks of snow geese(first week in Jan.) and they are at least two months later than normal.

 

[Tig]

I live on the migration path. Many geese are still hanging out and I have not seen many flocks on the move yet. A flock of migrating trumpeter swans even hung out here for a month. Usually they pass quite quickly in fall.
It has been warm and we have not had sustained freezing weather yet. The bay was open yesterday and freezing up again today.
Goose numbers could also be down in part due to the past two hard winters. Invasive mute swan populations had boomed and they cleaned out the limited food supply. The first year the swans died off about %20. Early waterfowl on return migration suffered the same fate. Nothing to eat. It was quite the nasty flotilla of dead waterfowl down the river in spring.
Geese nest around here and in spring and the young families come eat my dandylions and crap in my yard. I call them the weed and feed crew. Come late June they have worn out their welcome and I reclaim my yard for the summer season. They are ready move on by then.
Mute swans also may be an additional factor in that they disrupt waterfowl nesting. Mutes claim huge territories and can be quite intolerant of other creatures floating around, even those creatures that might be holding a beer.

 

[Wagtail]

Have you been placing pallets in an inverted V-pattern around your property? You will recall a claim that such pallet formations serve as a goose repellent.

Steve

I have done this, Steve, but only as a long-term experiment as to the benefits of Inverted V Pallet Structures.

However I believe that I can tentatively report that, as a Canada Goose repellent, it is working brilliantly. I've not recorded or seen one Canada Goose here in Tasmania.

It also appears to work for tigers! Not one sighting... which is a relief!

Note: I'll re-post these findings in the "Pallets in Field" thread.