Why are Geese Appearing Now?

Aug 4, 2023

Have you ever wondered why Canada geese will suddenly appear on your property in mid-July and early August? As a geese control company, we get a lot of questions like this: “Our pond didn’t have goslings this spring, so why are they here now?” One reason why the geese may have appeared is because mid-July and early August is when goslings are learning how to fly. If your property has a pond on it, goslings that were born elsewhere might be borrowing your pond for flight practice! Here’s how it works:

Flight Training for Goslings: A Summer Spectacle at Your Pond

The Flight Training Begins

Mid-July and early August mark the peak of gosling flight training season. At this stage, goslings are still juveniles, with limited skills and stamina. They venture out for short flights, often just hopping to the neighboring pond. Their early flights are adorably awkward as they build strength and confidence for longer flights.

Pond Hopping for Rest and Confidence

After their brief flights, goslings need to rest and refuel before attempting direct take-offs from the water. Your property’s pond becomes a hotspot for these little ones to recharge. As word spreads among the geese community, flocks of goslings can arrive, creating a busy training ground.

Summer Lessons and Encounters

Throughout mid-July and early August, your pond might become a hub of activity as goslings from various broods come together. This gathering allows young geese to socialize, practice flying together, and learn from one another. Interacting with different goslings, they learn essential skills through observation and imitation, making their flight training a collective learning experience.

From Fluff Balls to Confident Aviators

As summer goes on, the young birds will quickly develop their flight skills. By early September, most goslings will have mastered take-offs, landings, and sustained flights. If goslings have made your pond their training ground, you will get to witness their transformation from awkward fluff balls to confident aviators!

If you are experiencing large numbers of goslings right now, it is usually a short-lived issue. They will usually migrate once they “get their wings.” Embrace this temporary influx of goslings, a testament to the resilience of nature! Soon, the goslings will spread their wings and venture away from your pond, ready to embark on their first migratory journey with their parents.

Other Reasons Why Your Geese May Have Appeared

Gosling flight training is just one of many reasons why geese may have appeared on your property. If the geese on your property are adults with no goslings, they might be there for one or more of the following reasons:

Summer Molting

During the summer months, some geese undergo a molting period where they lose and regrow their flight feathers. Molting makes them temporarily flightless and vulnerable, so they seek out safe areas with water bodies and abundant food resources. If your property provides suitable habitat, such as ponds or lakes and open grassy areas, it could attract molting geese.

Stopover During Migration

Ohio is part of the migratory path for many bird species, including geese. In July and August, some geese might be on their way to their breeding grounds, while others could be returning from their breeding areas to their wintering grounds. During these journeys, they make stopovers at various locations to rest and refuel. If your property lies along their migratory route or offers suitable resting and feeding grounds, geese may temporarily gather there.

Food Availability

Geese are herbivorous birds and feed on grass, aquatic plants, and agricultural crops. If your property has well-maintained lawns, agricultural fields, or access to nearby food sources, it can attract geese looking for easy feeding opportunities.

Shelter and Safety

Geese seek out places that provide safety from predators and disturbances. If your property offers a peaceful environment with minimal human activity or threats, geese may find it an attractive place to spend time during their stopovers or while molting.

Resident Geese Populations

In recent years, some populations of Canada geese have become year-round residents in certain areas, including urban and suburban locations. These resident geese often stick around throughout the summer, as they have adapted to urban environments with abundant food and limited predators.

Call Go Geese Go for Humane Geese Control in Columbus, Ohio

Are the geese on your property year-round residents? We can help you evict your unwanted guests. At Go Geese Go, we use our experienced team of border collies to herd the geese. The birds perceive our dogs as predators and will leave your property to find a different home. Herding geese is a humane geese control solution. We go to great lengths to make sure the geese are not harmed.

Go Geese Go serves Columbus and the surrounding areas of central Ohio. Contact us today at (614) 841-GONE to learn more and request a free on-site consultation.

The Life Cycle of Canada Geese: From Goslings to Graceful Aviators

Want to learn more about the life cycle of Canada geese? The flight training stage that you are witnessing is just one of many phases that goslings go through as they mature. These are the different stages of life that Canada geese go through, from eggs to adult geese:

Egg Stage

The life of a Canada goose begins in the form of an egg. During the early spring, typically from March to April, the female goose lays a clutch of 4 to 7 eggs in a concealed nest near water bodies, such as ponds, lakes, marshes, or islands. She carefully selects a safe and hidden location to protect the eggs from predators.

The female incubates the eggs for about 25 to 30 days until they hatch. During this period, the female diligently tends to the nest, rotating the eggs to ensure uniform warmth and occasionally leaving to feed. The male goose stands guard nearby, protecting the nest and its precious contents.

Gosling Stage

After the incubation period, which occurs in late spring, usually from April to May, the goslings emerge from their eggs. Goslings are the adorable and fluffy offspring of Canada geese. They are precocial, meaning they are relatively developed at birth and can walk, swim, and feed themselves shortly after hatching.

The female leads her goslings away from the nest to nearby water, where they begin to explore their surroundings and learn essential survival skills. They follow their parents closely, imitating their behavior and learning to find food in the water and on land. Goslings have an innate instinct to stay close to their parents for protection and warmth.

Growth and Development

During the first few weeks of their lives, which span from late spring to early summer, goslings grow rapidly. They are dependent on their parents for warmth, protection, and guidance. The parents teach the goslings to forage for food, primarily grazing on grasses and aquatic vegetation.

As they grow, goslings molt their downy feathers and develop juvenile feathers, gradually resembling adult geese. The rapid growth during this stage is crucial for building the strength and body mass needed for their upcoming flight training.

Flight Training

Around 2 to 3 months old, which is during the summer months of June to August, the goslings start their flight training. Initially, their flights are short and awkward, with plenty of flapping and splashing on water surfaces. Under the watchful eyes of their parents, the young geese practice their flight skills, gradually building the strength and confidence required for longer flights.

The flight training process is essential for preparing the goslings for their migration during the upcoming fall and winter months. Their parents demonstrate proper take-offs and landings, and the young geese imitate these maneuvers while gradually gaining altitude and distance during their practice flights.

Juvenile Stage

As the summer progresses and the goslings become proficient flyers, they enter the juvenile stage, which lasts until the following spring. During this period, they are still distinguishable from adult geese by their size and coloration.

Juvenile geese may exhibit some characteristic behaviors, such as flocking together with their peers and exploring various habitats. They continue to refine their flight skills and foraging techniques during this stage, gaining more independence from their parents.

Adult Stage

By the next spring, usually from March to April of the following year, the geese reach maturity and transition into the adult stage. Adult Canada geese typically have distinctive black necks and heads with white cheek patches, a brownish-gray body, and a distinctive “honking” call.

They are sexually mature and capable of breeding and raising their own offspring. During this stage, they form pair bonds with a mate, and the females lay a new clutch of eggs to continue the cycle of life.

Reproductive Stage

During the breeding season, which occurs from late winter to early spring, typically from February to April, adult Canada geese form pair bonds, and the female lays a new clutch of eggs in a well-hidden nest near water. The pair cooperatively incubates the eggs for about 25 to 30 days until they hatch.

The goslings that hatch from these eggs will go through the same stages of life, continuing the cycle of the Canada goose’s life journey.

Contact Go Geese Go for Humane Geese Control in Columbus, Ohio

Looking for a geese control solution in Columbus, Ohio? Our team can help you relocate your unwanted guests. At Go Geese Go, we use our highly trained team of border collies to herd the geese and scare them off your property. The birds perceive our dogs as predators and will leave your property to find a home elsewhere. Herding geese is a humane geese control solution.