Do Geese Return To The Same Place Every Year?
Do geese return to the same place every year?
Having geese on your property can be a huge nuisance, especially when the birds return year after year. Canada geese can destroy your grass, leave messes on sidewalks, and are a health threat. Getting rid of geese and preventing them from returning can be difficult, especially since many geese return to the same area every year to nest. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to keep this wildlife away.
Geese Return to the Same Area Every Year
Do geese come back to one area every year? Yes! When Canada geese find a spot they like for nesting, they will return to the same nest area each year for up to about 12 years. If you see this species of geese in a specific part of your property each year, there’s a good chance they’re the same birds. While it can be difficult to prevent geese from returning, it’s not impossible. The key is to make your property less appealing to wildlife.
What Attracts These Birds?
Canada geese are attracted to areas that provide a safe location for nesting, breeding, and raising their goslings. An area with water, food, and a lack of predators makes the perfect place for building a nest.
Water
Geese love areas close to water like ponds or water runoff areas. After breeding and once the eggs have hatched, Canada geese and their goslings will divide their time between the nest, water, and their food source.
Food
Canada geese eat grass, aquatic plants, berries, and seeds. Geese will also eat seeds from bird feeders and food that people hand them. If your property has lots of grass, bird feeders, or humans willing to share their meal with the local wildlife, it’s likely an appealing nesting location for Canada geese and their goslings.
Safe Nesting Site
Safety is a priority for Canada geese when choosing a place for nesting and breeding, making residential and urban areas popular. These areas feature buildings and rooftops that are great for nesting because they make it easy for birds to see nearby predators. Parking islands are also popular places for geese to build a nest.
Nesting Facts
A Canada goose can be identified by its brown body, black head, and white chinstrap. It is estimated that at least 3.6 million Canada geese live in North America. This wildlife can be found in the US between the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Migrating Canada geese travel north between April and early June. There, they begin breeding and nesting. This species of bird typically begins breeding around the age of 3, and a Canada goose will usually stay with one mate for the rest of its life. During breeding season, females average five to six eggs per clutch. Within about 24 hours of the eggs hatching, the adult Canada geese lead the goslings away from the nest to find food or water.
Around September and October, Canada geese parents and their goslings leave the north and fly south for the winter to their non breeding areas. In the spring, the Canada geese fly north again and this cycle of biology and science repeats.
Why Are They a Problem?
Having lots of Canada geese residing on your property can cause problems for your land and tenants. These birds are loud, can be aggressive during breeding season, pose health risks to people nearby, and can destroy your grass.
Noisy
Canada geese can quickly ruin a peaceful environment with their loud honking. The more geese you have, the more noise you have, and the more annoying the noise can be.
Aggressive
Canada geese can become aggressive during breeding season in the spring. Goose parents can also be aggressive if people get too close to their nests or if they feel their goslings are in danger. If wildlife harasses or harms people on your property in the US, you may be held liable for injuries.
Sanitary Concerns
Geese can carry bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can be transferred through biting, nasal discharge, and feces, creating a health concern for nearby people.
Grass Damage
Maintaining your yard can be difficult when geese are returning to the same area year after year, as Canada geese eat and kill the grass. Additionally, a single Canada goose can leave behind up to two pounds of droppings per day, quickly creating a mess.
Should I Prevent Wildlife From Returning?
Since nesting Canada geese travel north to the same areas each year, you will likely continue to have a goose problem until you take steps to stop the birds from returning. Goose prevention methods encourage these birds to stay away, helping you provide a healthier, more pleasant environment for tenants and guests. It can be difficult to keep geese away once they’ve decided they like a particular nesting site, so it’s best to stop Canada geese from returning as soon as possible.
What To Do if You Have a Goose Problem
If you have a goose problem and want the birds off your land, create a plan of action. Make a list of steps to get rid of the Canada geese that are currently on your property. Then, make a list of steps to stop the birds from returning. There are several ways to keep Canada geese away without hurting them.
How to Stop Them From Coming Back
The best way to get rid of the Canada geese on your property and discourage them from returning to these areas each year is to make your property unappealing to the geese. When they realize your land is no longer an ideal wildlife habitat, they will be motivated to find new areas for breeding and taking care of their goslings.
Cover Ponds
If you have a pond on your property, run wire across it to form a grid with 12-inch squares raised about 8 inches above the surface. This netting will keep geese from being able to fly onto the pond or enter it by walking in from the land, but will still allow mallard ducks to enjoy the pond.
Remove Their Food Source
To make geese leave your property and stop them from returning, make it harder for them to find food on your land. If there are bird feeders present or people have a habit of throwing food to the Canada geese, remove the feeders and ask people to stop feeding the geese. You can also try goose repellant, a grape-based liquid that is sprayed onto the grass in your yard. When a goose eats the grass, the repellent causes digestive discomfort and the goose learns to stop eating your grass. The Canada geese will eventually move on to areas where food is safer and more readily available.
Block the Nest
If you know where the Canada geese usually build a nest, place a large object there once the geese have left for the season. The object should be big and heavy enough that the birds can’t move it, forcing them to find somewhere else to spend breeding season.
Scare Them Away
Decoys like fake coyotes and other predatory animals make it seem like your property isn’t safe for geese parents or their goslings. You can also scare these birds away with noise-making devices by putting rocks in an empty laundry detergent bottle, tying a knot to the bottle, and shaking the bottle while walking towards the geese.
Hire Bird Control Professionals
Making your property appear to be full of predators is the most effective way to make a goose population go away and keep this wildlife from coming back. However, do-it-yourself methods take time and don’t always work. Instead, hire Go Geese Go for effective goose control. Our herding dogs visit your property twice per day and chase the birds off your yard. The birds are never hurt, but they believe they’re being stalked by predators and eventually move elsewhere to live. Contact us to learn more.
What To Do if You Notice a Canada Goose Nest
If you notice a goose nest that’s being used, leave it alone. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act is a national law in the US that prohibits people from disturbing Canada goose nests if eggs are present and from harassing the goose parents. A permit from the state’s department of wildlife is required to remove the nest. Leave it where it is until the birds have left for the season, then place a large, heavy object where the nest was located.
About Us
If you’re tired of dealing with a goose population on your property year after year, contact Go Geese Go. Our border collies are professionally trained to herd Canada geese away from your yard and pond without hurting them. This is the most humane method of goose control.
Contact Your Local Bird Control Specialists
Request more information or schedule services by contacting us at (614) 841-GONE.