If you’ve previously had Canada geese nesting and breeding on your property, you know how much of a nuisance they can be. Will those geese to return to your property this year? When Canada geese find a nesting site they like, they often return year after year. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to prevent geese from calling your property home.
When Do Geese Migrate?
Canada geese and goslings are found in North America, including Canada. In the spring, typically between April and June, male and female Canada geese migrate north, where they start nesting and breeding. The birds remain up north during the spring and summer, where the parents raise their goslings. In the fall, typically around September or October, the Canada geese head south for the winter. When spring arrives, migration starts and they’ll head north again. A Canada goose can fly 1,500 miles in only 24 hours.
Canada Goose Breeding and Nesting Facts
The Canada geese species of bird is known for its black and white head, black bill, brown feathers and wings, black tail feathers, long neck, and loud honking. A female Canada goose and a male goose have the same coloration, but the female Canada goose tends to be smaller.
Canada geese typically stay with the same mate their entire lives. These birds often start nesting and breeding as a young goose, around 3 years old, building a bowl-shaped nest out of grass, reeds, sticks, moss, feathers, and other nearby materials. A female Canada goose typically lays about five eggs per clutch, although up to 12 eggs is possible. The eggs incubate for about 25 to 30 days, then within about one day of the eggs hatching, the adult female and male geese lead the goslings to water and food. The goslings usually start to fly around the age of 10 weeks.
Do Geese Always Return to the Same Spot?
After heading north, geese return to the same nesting and breeding area every year. Canada geese look for a place to nest and raise their goslings that offers food, water, and a safe location for the Canada goose parents and young goslings.
How Geese Choose a Nesting Site
Before creating a nest and breeding site, Canada geese find an area that has water, food, and protection from predators. Canada geese must keep themselves and their eggs or goslings safe. These geese often nest in an area that has low vegetation and is located near a water source, such as a pond or water runoff area. Popular nesting and breeding sites for geese and their goslings include islands, in vegetation near water, in landscaping, on rooftops, and more.
Canada geese look for an area with grass and other food. Geese also like areas with humans who share their food. Canada geese build nests, lay eggs, and raise goslings in a variety of residential and commercial areas.
Manicured lawns make it easy for Canada geese to see approaching predators. Rooftops in urban areas also provide the geese a literal bird’s-eye view of potential threats.
Geese Can Cause Big Problems
Geese often cause big problems for residential areas. A nesting goose can be aggressive towards people and pets who get too close to their nests or goslings. This puts everyone at risk of being hurt by the geese, and you could be held liable for those injuries. Geese may also be aggressive towards other geese.
Canada geese also make it more difficult to manage your lawn. The birds eat grass and leave behind up to two pounds of poop every day. Geese can also carry and spread viruses, parasites, and bacteria through poop, biting, and nasal discharge.
What to Do If You Find a Goose Nest
If you find a goose nest with eggs, you have to leave it alone. Canada geese are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, so it’s illegal to move or destroy the nest of Canada geese without a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service when Canada goose eggs are present.
Once the geese have left your property for the season and the nest is no longer being used, you can remove it. You can also help prevent geese from breeding there in the future by placing a large, heavy object in the area. The birds won’t be able to move the object and will find somewhere else to build a nest.
Should I Stop Geese from Coming Back?
Canada geese are often a nuisance. To end your Canada goose problem, it’s helpful to prevent geese from returning to your property for nesting and breeding. By getting the geese to leave, you can enjoy a safer, healthier, and quieter environment. Unfortunately, since geese come back to the same spot every year, it can be difficult to get Canada geese to stay away.
How to Keep Geese Away
There are a variety of control methods you can try to prevent geese from constructing a nest and breeding on your property. The key is to make your property seem unpleasant for the geese without hurting them.
Make sure there’s no food for the geese. Ask people on your property to stop feeding the geese, and take down any bird feeders. You can also spray your lawn with a Canada goose repellent made from grape seed extract, which irritates the stomachs of the Canada geese. When the geese realize there’s no food for them on your property, they’ll go somewhere else.
Canada geese also prefer short grass, which makes it easier for the geese to walk into and out of a pond. Consider allowing the grass to grow tall to discourage Canada geese from sticking around. If you have a pond, cover the water with a wire net. Create 12-inch squares about 8 inches above the surface of the water. This makes it difficult for Canada geese to enter the pond water, but allows mallard ducks to access it just fine.
The best way to keep geese away is to hire a professional goose control company. At Goose Masters, we bring our trained border collies to your property on a regular basis. The dogs use their “herding eye” to stalk Canada geese, then chase the geese away. The geese are never touched or hurt, but they believe your property is inhabited by predators, and find somewhere “safer” to live.
About Goose Masters
We are proud to offer effective and humane services for controlling the goose population on your property. Rather than physically removing geese, our team uses border collies to herd the geese away. Our techniques for Canada geese have been approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the USDA Wildlife Services. The Humane Society and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) suggest using working border collies for controlling Canada geese. We visit your property on a regular basis throughout the year to help prevent geese from making your property their home.
Do geese always go back to the same nest? Typically, yes. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to discourage geese from staying and breeding on your property. The most effective solution is hiring Goose Masters. Contact us to learn more about our services for controlling geese.
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