I have a pond in my front yard, approximatly 1/4 acre. For the last 2 weeks, 2 geese have been stopping by and Sunday, they stayed all day. Is that a good thing or bad. I know they poop everywhere. If they stay too long, will they nest and next year I'll be covered up with them??
Canada geese around the house
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They are waiting for the lakes and rivers to open up here. Finally starting now.guess a few flew back and told them to stay where theres food.
Geese are grazers. They can eat a lot of grass. Keep them around and you won't have to fertilize or mow!
We have a few residents. Started out as 2, after 10-15 years, might be up to 15-20. Sometimes the foxes get the younguns...
CaveCreekRay
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The bird watchers are not sure why but Canadian geese stopped migrating a few decades ago. Most other geese still do. We have seen huge flocks of honkers heading North over the last month here in AZ.
I remember sitting at the end of the runway waiting to blast out of Chicago Midway during a blizzard. We were pointed towards the arrival traffic and while waiting to see the guy on short final pop out of the blinding snow, we saw about ten geese in tight formation cross the path of the landing jet only seconds before he appeared. This was in January.
I hit a goose in Seattle that folded my radome in while landing in a snowstorm.
"C'mon guys! Did you get lazy or what? Mexico is GREAT in the winter!!!"
Ray
I remember sitting at the end of the runway waiting to blast out of Chicago Midway during a blizzard. We were pointed towards the arrival traffic and while waiting to see the guy on short final pop out of the blinding snow, we saw about ten geese in tight formation cross the path of the landing jet only seconds before he appeared. This was in January.
I hit a goose in Seattle that folded my radome in while landing in a snowstorm.
"C'mon guys! Did you get lazy or what? Mexico is GREAT in the winter!!!"
Ray
Get rid of them if you can, this year you have two next year ?, they crap everywhere and they can be very noisy. They came to our lake about 7 years ago and the neighbors thought they were cute, I have a low profile lot and sand beach they walk up the beach eat the grass and leave me presents everywhere. If you make a little fence with a string about 10" off the ground they won't go under it but they'll still leave the mess on the other side. So would I discourage them from nesting close by You Bet! Just my 2 cents Barry
Amen on getting rid of them!!! The novality wears off pretty quickly, after the first time the dog or the grand kids wind up getting chased or walking in their droppings and dragging it in the house and they stink too!
Right now... they are nice. But in a few years... you will be over-run, and the will CRAP on EVERYTHING !!!!!! Not to mention, they can get mean. (no fun)
Here, in PA... it's gotten so bad at some of the local parks (with lakes) that the health board shut them down, because there was so much poop everywhere. And then... the townships posted lotteries to have an open hunt in the park !!!!!!!
So... Yes... you may like them... but take care of it now before it becomes an issue. Either have them for dinner... or if you don't want to hurt them... let a couple dogs out.
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There are a couple parks in little rock that they actually use dogs to get rid of the geese
They hired in originally, then felt it a better use of the money to open up and encourage dog owners to go out there and let there pooches loose Right you are there Doc,, I remember in North Park on the little island, everybody bough bread to feed the ducks and geese,, it got SO BAD!!! And the water was so polluted and the dropping so nasty that it became a danger to every one around, carp couldnt even live in that water!!!
There was some talk about a goose shoot but I think the North Hill's yuppie tree huger's stopped that, just like they did the deer hunts in the park.
There was some talk about a goose shoot but I think the North Hill's yuppie tree huger's stopped that, just like they did the deer hunts in the park.
cavecreek,, "stopped migrateing.". I had noticed that. I remember as a kid, never seeing a Canada goose except flying in spring and fall. But now they are at most of the larger ponds all year long. I am right in the middle of 2 of the larger ponds in the valley and they fly between them and stop here. Guess it's time to get another dog.
Ray, the local Lansing airport has, at least the last I heard, a working border collie employed to get all the birds out of the runway areas when airplane traffic is expected. Not sure if it has to work during deep snow, that would be a bit tough.
CaveCreekRay
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They are a nuisance for sure. And unlike Canadian PEOPLE, these Canadian GEESE can get pretty nasty and quite territorial.
Most airports have propane cannons scattered around which fire off a blast every few minutes to keep the flocks away.
The absolute scariest times I had inflight was doing a 300RVR (300 foot visual range on the runway in heavy fog) takeoff in Sacramento knowing at 1200 to 1500 above me where there was blue sky, there were also flocks of 200-500 migratory birds, flying in giant formations, in holding patterns over the fog, waiting to find a hole in the fog so they can land (Birds cannot fly in clouds... they lose their orientation and "crash.") The will sometimes hold for a day or more. It was not uncommon to see four of five enormous formations orbiting in circles.
We'd crank on the radar, which they could hear, but we were going 150 mph and they were in ungainly formations going 30 mph. It was pure luck I never hit any. We would turn away from them or duck under or climb over them. It was always good to break out and see a clear path ahead. Birds do not show up on radar.
Ray
Most airports have propane cannons scattered around which fire off a blast every few minutes to keep the flocks away.
The absolute scariest times I had inflight was doing a 300RVR (300 foot visual range on the runway in heavy fog) takeoff in Sacramento knowing at 1200 to 1500 above me where there was blue sky, there were also flocks of 200-500 migratory birds, flying in giant formations, in holding patterns over the fog, waiting to find a hole in the fog so they can land (Birds cannot fly in clouds... they lose their orientation and "crash.") The will sometimes hold for a day or more. It was not uncommon to see four of five enormous formations orbiting in circles.
We'd crank on the radar, which they could hear, but we were going 150 mph and they were in ungainly formations going 30 mph. It was pure luck I never hit any. We would turn away from them or duck under or climb over them. It was always good to break out and see a clear path ahead. Birds do not show up on radar.
Ray
Daren Todd
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Ray, I'm sure there was a major pucker factor with flying Don't tell my wife those stories, I would never get her on a plane again.
It's funny that this topic came up. For the past few years we've been getting geese bouncing between ponds in the area. Kept thinking it was odd, but never realized they quit migrating.
We tagged geese when I was in the forestry/wildlife class in high school. And had a big management area near lake Champlain in vermont. Took my wife over by there when we were up there a few years ago. Management area used to be loaded with snow geese and canadians. We didn't see a single goose.
Don't tell my wife those stories, I would never get her on a plane again.It's funny that this topic came up. For the past few years we've been getting geese bouncing between ponds in the area. Kept thinking it was odd, but never realized they quit migrating.
We tagged geese when I was in the forestry/wildlife class in high school. And had a big management area near lake Champlain in vermont. Took my wife over by there when we were up there a few years ago. Management area used to be loaded with snow geese and canadians. We didn't see a single goose.
Grouse Feathers
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It is better than good it is great.
Don't believe any of the other posts, they don't want you to keep birds that might roost in there yards instead of yours. Nothing better than waking up in the morning to a honking goose just outside your window. You can have your own resident flock with just a little effort and a few dollars in feed. I know I love them in the river in front of our house especially when the eagle swoops in and nails one!!!We have tens of thousands of them flying over our house in the fall and spring. They stay in the grain fields for the most part and spend the nights on the lake.
The winter was mild last year so they stayed late and we're back early. With little snow they have lots to eat in the field because the farmers are big here now so they don't care about a little grain here and there.
They were here til December and back in March. They are not the problem here, snow geese and variants of them are over grazing the north and populating at a rate that can't be sustained.
No limit and spring and fall season for them. Unfortunately they taste like a swamp not a grain feed Canada!
The winter was mild last year so they stayed late and we're back early. With little snow they have lots to eat in the field because the farmers are big here now so they don't care about a little grain here and there.
They were here til December and back in March. They are not the problem here, snow geese and variants of them are over grazing the north and populating at a rate that can't be sustained.
No limit and spring and fall season for them. Unfortunately they taste like a swamp not a grain feed Canada!
Only ate goose once. I remember it being very greasy.
They are a nucence. Hit one in the car last year. 1600 damage to a 96 accord.
Supprisingly insurance fixed it.
if they nest and you want them gone. Take the eggs away. Problem solved. Unless you get bit. Lol
They are a nucence. Hit one in the car last year. 1600 damage to a 96 accord.
Supprisingly insurance fixed it.
if they nest and you want them gone. Take the eggs away. Problem solved. Unless you get bit. Lol
CaveCreekRay
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In survival school, the instructor told us "Ever heard of the saying: You are what you eat? Its TRUE!" He went on to say don't even waste the energy to kill and eat a seagull because they eat crap, taste like crap, and are oily-gooey.
Must be the same for more water fowl...
Ray
Must be the same for more water fowl...
Ray
Ray I know a guy that his job is to exterminate them in and around air ports. We call him the care taker.