Canada Geese in Southern
Ontario
Seasonal deterrent techniques
for lakeside home and cottage owners
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Table of Contents
CANADA GEESE ARE BEAUTIFUL
BIRDS and, until recent years, the sight
of a flock carving a V in the spring sky was a welcome one for everyone.
But geese that breed in temperate regions, such as southern Ontario,
have become unwelcome residents of some lakeside properties.
Conflicts between people and Canada Geese arise when
landowners are unable to deter the birds from taking up residence
each spring. Once geese have nested successfully, they tend to return
to the area in future years in growing numbers.
Groups of the large birds feeding on the property may
be simply inconvenient, or people may be concerned about feeding
damage and an abundance of bird droppings. If landowners object
to the presence of the birds, the best approach is timely, seasonal
deterrence to discourage geese from settling on the property.
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Sub-arctic breeding Canada
Geese breed and raise their young in remote northern locations,
stopping in southern Ontario to rest and feed during spring
and fall migrations. These geese migrate between summer breeding
grounds in the muskeg and tundra regions of northern Canada
and their wintering areas in the United States.
Temperate breeding Canada
Geese live and breed in southern Ontario. Most move south
to the eastern United States for part of the winter period
when snow and ice cover their feeding and roosting areas.
Some remain year-round in southern Ontario. The expanding
population and range of temperate breeding geese have led
to increased conflicts with people, particularly near water
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Timing is everything
THERE IS NO ONE SOLUTION to discourage
Canada Geese from a lakeside property. However, timely and
careful attention to deterrent techniques may be enough to
encourage geese to nest elsewhere. Take the time to identify
potential nesting and rearing sites on the property, and prepare
to discourage the birds as soon as they arrive – as early
as February. Monitor potential sites for newly arriving birds
and act immediately. The birds are extremely reluctant to
move on once they have begun moulting their flight feathers,
in early June.
In the long term, attractive nesting and rearing habitat
will continue to draw geese each year. Habitat modification
may be necessary, along with seasonal deterrence, to discourage
the geese more effectively over time.
If geese successfully establish a nest, do not
destroy it. It is illegal to do so, and the geese will very
likely rebuild another nearby.
Report
Leg Bands 1-800-327-BAND
Please call to report bird band numbers. The Canadian Wildlife
Service bands more than 3,000 geese each year in southern
Ontario. Band reports support decisions in monitoring and
managing bird populations.
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Seasonal deterrent techniques
REDUCE THE ATTRACTIVENESS of the site
for breeding Canada Geese. Grassy expanses near water provide
ideal goose habitat. Canada Geese are grazers and eat mainly
short grasses such as those found in lawns, parks and golf
courses. Geese also prefer good visibility to detect predators.
They feed in open areas with clear flight access to ponds,
lakes or marshes. Adjacent docks, beaches and yards provide
secure places for preening and loafing.
- Modify the grass
It’s a fact: Canada Geese prefer manicured lawns. Let the
grass adjacent to the water body grow a little longer or
plant coarse, tall grasses that are less appealing to geese.
- Obstruct the shoreline
Maintain an unmowed shoreline buffer of grasses, shrubs
and wildflowers. Obstruct bird access to the shoreline with
low fences or rock walls. Natural barriers include trees,
densely spaced brush, hedge or shrubbery near the shorelines
of lakes, ponds, wetlands and streams.
- Discourage nesting
with “scare” techniques
Disturb the birds as soon as they arrive to deter them from
settling on the property. Short-term techniques include
noisemakers, strobe lights, recorded distress calls, and
the use of trained dogs. Combine techniques (e.g., noise
and light) and vary the sequence continuously or the birds
will quickly adapt to the disturbance. New technologies,
such as handheld lasers designed specifically to scare birds,
are available. Landowners may wish to consult with a wildlife
professional.
- Obtain a permit to
discharge a firearm
A permit from the Canadian Wildlife
Service is required for this technique. Where bylaws
allow, permits may be issued authorizing the use of a firearm
as a noisemaker to disturb the geese. The applicant must
demonstrate that other techniques were tried without success.
- Obtain a permit to
sterilize eggs
A permit from the Canadian Wildlife
Service is required for this technique. If the birds
have nested, use this technique within 10 days after the
last egg is laid. Sterilize the eggs by coating them with
non-toxic vegetable or mineral oil. Or addle (shake) the
eggs to destroy the developing embryo. The goose will continue
to incubate her eggs beyond the normal hatching date and
will not re-nest.
- Erect temporary barriers
Keep broods (adults with goslings) away from designated
areas with temporary barriers. Low fences marked with 'Birdscare-Flash-Tape',
fluttering strands of shiny Mylar tape, or other highly
visible material can repel geese. Place the barrier at goose
and gosling height between the water and the area to be
protected. Adults can fly over the barrier but goslings
will not follow – and the adults will not leave their goslings
behind.
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Canada Geese: Protected by law
The Canada Goose is a migratory bird, protected under Canadian
law by the Migratory Birds Convention Act.
The Canadian Wildlife Service, part of Environment Canada,
manages wildlife matters that are the responsibility of the
federal government, including protection and management of
migratory birds.
It is illegal to disturb, damage or destroy the nest or eggs
of Canada Geese. However, special permits may be obtained
from the Canadian Wildlife Service to use acceptable deterrent
techniques. To request a permit, contact the Permits Officer
at (905) 336-4464. |
Population management
The Canadian Wildlife Service estimates
that there are more than 400,000 temperate breeding Canada
Geese in Ontario today, far more than would have occurred
without human interference. In some areas, the expanding goose
population can bring about conflicts, mess and damage for
community parks, recreational or agricultural properties,
and lakeside homes and cottages.
The Canadian Wildlife Service employs various
measures to manage the population:
- periodic surveys to monitor the
population size and range;
- leg banding to track individual
survival, movements and number harvested;
- advice and permits to landowners
to ameliorate conflicts with Canada Geese;
- hunting regulations (seasons and
harvest limits) to provide harvest opportunities and limit
population growth.
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| Walter B. Fechner |
Understanding Canada
Geese
A brief history
Accounts by seventeenth century explorers indicate that Canada
Geese were part of the area’s original fauna and were very abundant
in the extreme southwest, where prairie and wetlands covered hundreds
of square kilometres. Settlers in the late eighteenth century cleared
most forests in inland southern Ontario – improving goose habitat
– and local wildlife was hunted to support growing families. Unrestricted
harvests drastically reduced goose populations and, by the turn
of the twentieth century, Canada Geese had disappeared from nearly
all of their former breeding range within southern Ontario.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources and local conservationists reintroduced Canada Geese to
southern Ontario. A combination of factors contributed to the success
of this effort. Manicured parks, lawns, golf courses, and agricultural
crops flanked by ponds or watercourses provided ideal breeding habitat.
Few predators remained in the region. In addition, geese are remarkably
adaptable. Geese have been reported nesting in trees, roadside ditches,
adjacent to swimming pools, and even on flat rooftops.
Biology basics
BREEDING: Most pairs of Canada Geese mate
for life, but a new mate will be selected if one dies. Canada Geese
usually breed for the first time in their third year. Many live
longer than 10 years and some as long as 25 years. Pairs seek nesting
sites during the first warm days of February. By mid to late March,
most pairs have a well-established breeding territory and begin
laying clutches of two to eight eggs.
NESTING: By mid-April, most female geese
are sitting on their nests. Preferred sites are near water, such
as small islands, and the shorelines of ponds and wetlands. While
nesting, geese may become aggressive toward people or their pets
in defence of the nest. If the nest is destroyed, geese may attempt
to re-nest nearby.
REARING: Conflicts between landowners and
geese often occur in late spring and early summer, when the geese
are raising their young and feeding heavily. Peak hatching occurs
in May. Rearing a brood requires more security and accessible food
so adult pairs often move goslings some distance. High quality sites
may attract several family groups.
MOULTING: A few weeks after the goslings
hatch, adult geese moult their wing feathers, leaving them flightless
for up to six weeks. During this period, the adults are vulnerable
and highly reluctant to leave the rearing-moulting area. By mid-July,
many goslings and adults can fly. By the end of July, most geese
move to roosting areas on larger bodies of water, from which they
fly daily to feed. If the rearing-moulting area provides food, water
and security, some family groups may remain until early September.
FALL MIGRATION: Temperate breeding geese
are joined in fall by sub-arctic breeding geese on migration. The
length of stay for northern migrants depends on weather, food availability,
and local hunting pressure. Peak numbers usually occur in mid to
late October. By early December, the majority of sub-arctic breeding
geese have flown south. If winter conditions occur in early to mid
December, many temperate breeding geese also move south to the United
States, some as far as Tennessee.
Contact the Canadian
Wildlife Service
By mail:
Canadian Wildlife Service
465 Gideon Drive, P.O. Box 490 (Lambeth Station)
London, ON N6P 1R1
Canadian Wildlife Service
49 Camelot Drive, Nepean, ON K1A 0H3
By telephone:
London: (519) 472-1406
Nepean: (613) 952-2405
By fax:
London: (519) 472-3062
Nepean: (613) 952-9027
By e-mail:
Wildlife.Ontario@ec.gc.ca
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