Canada geese

dorothy dobbie

In the springtime, Canada geese (Branta canadensis) are everywhere in towns and cities, but mostly were there is water nearby.

They waddle here and there, seemingly unaware of our human presence, that is until we get too close. Then, if there are goslings involved, they can be quite aggressive. They may run at you, wings wide and menacing, while they honk and hiss and arrange their necks in a snake-like posture, bobbing their heads up and down. They are heavy birds, and strong. Their wings could break a bone if they connect the right way and their bites are painful and bruising. They also use their feet in the attack.

If you are threatened by one, stay calm, stare it down. One goose will probably not pose a major threat, but they can call for reinforcements that could be dangerous.

It is not just humans that are attacked. In one instance a smaller Canada goose inadvertently (one hopes) invaded the territory of another bird. It attacked the smaller bird Scan me

Hinterland Who’s Who on Canadian Geese

https://www.nfb.ca/film/hinterland_whos_who_ canada_goose/

and ultimately pinned its head in some mud until the smaller bird suffocated. Canada geese may have been forced to take this aggressive stand because they lose their flight feathers around the time their eggs hatch, so they can’t fly from danger. They regain their flight feathers about the time their goslings are ready to learn to fly. These aggressive tendencies are a demonstration of their family feelings. These intelligent birds mate for life and will visibly mourn a lost spouse if one of them is killed. There are numerous stories of these animals haunting a space where a mate was last seen. Some will mate again, but not all.

Their nests are constructed on the ground, preferably near water and on a knoll or rise that gives them a view of their surroundings.

The female goose lays two to nine eggs, which she cares for pretty much full time, taking only a little time out to eat or attend to other matters. Some will take a break all at once, covering her eggs with bits of grass and down, then going off with her mate, who has been faithfully guarding her and the nest, for a refreshing bath and something to eat. Otherwise they will take several shorter breaks of 10 minutes or so.

And she doesn’t just sit there. She flips her eggs over from time to time to make sure they are warm on all sides. Even after the goslings, which she can communicate with in the egg, are hatched, she must warm them under her wings every 15 minutes. Being a female Canada goose is a big job, especially since the young remain at home for about a year.

At one time, Canada geese were prized as food for their high fat content—a goose can weigh eight pounds or more and most of that is fat. They were in such demand that they were hunted almost to extinction. Then back in 1962, an enterprising Minnesotan, Harold Manson, started a successful conservation program, and now estimates vary that there are between five and eight million breeding in North America.

Geese are largely herbivores, eating grass, but they will eat insects and small mammals, even small snakes. In fall and winter, they concentrate on eating more berries and seeds, including grains. Blueberries are a favourite food, and they can remove dried corn from cobs. They have several predatory enemies including raccoons and coyotes that are active nest raiders. Coyotes will kill an adult goose and have the nasty habit of removing the heads and feet of their victims and eating the rest.

Most very northerly geese migrate south for the winter, returning to the same location year after year. Migrating flights often begin at dusk, something pilot trainees are taught so that they avoid take-offs at that time. But they will also suddenly leave at other times, gathering in the famous V-formation headed, alternately, by experienced elders.

People dislike the goose droppings that are part of being a goose habitat. For the most part, the feces are harmless, although you can get a condition calls cryptosporidium causing gastrointestinal distress if you breathe in bacteria.

Want to keep them out of your yard? Lay down some plastic mesh on the lawn, adopt some goose herding dogs, find a way to create loud noises or other ways to scare them off, or build a fence.

Good luck. They are pretty smart birds and they will remember you. j