Canada Geese and Farms
Seasonal techniques to
deter geese
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|
Norm North, Canadian Wildlife Service |
Table of Contents
Canada Geese in Southern Ontario
 |
Eric
Dresser |
Canada Geese are beautiful birds and, until recent years, the sight
of a flock crossing the spring sky was always welcome. But geese
that breed in temperate regions, such as southern Ontario, have
become unwelcome guests on some crop and pasture lands.
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, their numbers tend to increase
in future years.
Large groups of geese feeding on crops can result in damage and
economic loss. If farmers object to the presence of the birds, the
best approach is timely, seasonal deterrence to discourage geese
from settling on the property.
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. Some may move south to the eastern
United States for the winter period if snow and ice cover their
feeding and roosting areas. Many 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
bodies.
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Timing is everything
 |
Ian
Parsons, Canadian Wildlife Service |
There is no one solution to discourage
Canada Geese from feeding in a field. However, timely and careful
attention to deterrent techniques may be enough to encourage geese
to nest and feed 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.
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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.
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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 lawns or the young shoots of many forage and cereal crops.
Geese also prefer good visibility to detect predators. They feed
in open areas with clear flight access to ponds, lakes or marshes.
- Modify habitat
Focus efforts on the area between cultivated land and ponds or
other wetlands. Create natural barriers of trees, brush and shrubs
around ponds, wetlands and streams. If you have a pond, avoid
creating islands or peninsulas which are ideal nesting sites for
geese.
- Allow legal hunting
Farmers can encourage the reduction of the local goose population
during the legal hunting season. Providing access to responsible
hunters during the fall season can help to reduce future crop
losses in the area.
- Discourage nesting
and feeding with "scare" techniques
Disturb the birds as soon as they arrive to deter them from settling
on the property. Combine techniques (i.e., noise and light) and
vary the sequence often or the birds will quickly adapt to the
disturbance. Techniques include noisemakers (e.g., propane canons,
sirens) and visual deterrents (e.g., scarecrows, Mylar flags,
helium-filled balloons). Strobe lights, recorded distress calls,
and the use of trained dogs may also be effective. Farmers may
wish to consult with a wildlife professional
about the availability and use of new technologies.
In spring, scare migrating geese away until they move on. Migrating
geese don’t settle for long but they can cause extensive damage
during their stay.
- 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.
- 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. In extreme cases, permits may be obtained
to authorize the killing of a limited number of geese that are
causing serious crop damage.
- Obtain a permit
to sterilize eggs
A permit from the Canadian Wildlife Service
is required to sterilize eggs. 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.
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.
Population management
 |
| Eric Dresser |
The Canadian Wildlife Service estimates that there are more than
400,000 temperatebreeding 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 mitigate conflicts with Canada Geese;
- hunting regulations to provide harvest
opportunities and limit population growth.
A caution about firearms discharge bylaws
The Canadian Wildlife Service is responsible for setting hunting
seasons and harvest limits each year for Canada Geese and other
migratory game birds. Hunting, together with other deterrents, is
an efficient means to limit the expanding goose population. However,
bylaws in some municipalities may prevent hunting, scare and kill
activities. Affected farms, along with urban parks and golf courses,
can then become sanctuaries for geese during the hunting season
– undermining efforts to control population growth. Originally intended
to promote safety within towns, these bylaws may apply to adjacent
farmland. Rural landowners should contact their municipality to
ensure that they understand local bylaws before they or their agents
discharge firearms on their property.
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 |
| Norm North, Canadian
Wildlife Service |
Understanding Canada Geese
A brief history
Accounts by seventeenth century explorers show 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 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.
 |
|
The Giant Canada Goose is the most common sub-species of
Canada Geese breeding in rural southern Ontario / Walter B.
Fechner |
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.
 |
|
Glenn Barrett, Canadian Wildlife Service |
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 as they migrate.
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.
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Contact the Canadian Wildlife Service
By telephone:
London: (519) 472-1406 Ottawa:
(613) 949-8259
By fax:
London: (519) 472-3062 Ottawa:
(613) 949-8307
By e-mail:
Wildlife.Ontario@ec.gc.ca
To request a permit, contact the
Permits Officer at (905) 336-4464.
www.on.ec.gc.ca/wildlife
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