The Social Lives of Geese: Exploring Their Flocking Behavior
Geese Behavior Within a Flock
When observing geese we find many interesting behaviors within a flock. A flock of geese will look for a safe and comfortable nesting area during the early parts of the year. Once the flock settles on a nesting site they will stay there until their goslings are born. Goslings may stay with their flock for their entire lives, but this is not always the case. Some young birds will find other younger geese to create a new life within a new flock. Unlike their young, the parents of a young goose will likely never abandon their goslings. Geese tend to mate for life and maintain monogamous behavior. In the event that one of the geese dies their mate may look for another partner, within the flock or otherwise. During migration, a flock will rotate out leaders in order to avoid exhaustion or fatigue. These birds work together in order to protect and maintain their flock. Some of the behaviors of geese are somewhat similar to most other waterfowl as they are social and communal creatures.
Understanding Geese Culture
Because geese are such social creatures within their flocks they have very interesting behavioral patterns. A flock of geese will look out for each other, especially during migration season. In the event that a threat is detected, these birds will sound the alarm by vocalizing concern and warning their flock. By paying attention to the behavior of these birds and the way geese communicate humans can better understand their actions. When their body language flares and their honking becomes aggressive it’s best to retreat away and maintain a safe distance. Some geese will remain in the same flock for many years, some even migrating back and forth to the same areas for up to a decade as very social animals geese will quickly join a new flock if ever separated from their original flock due to migration or another event. Geese will search for resources in nature throughout their entire life, whether that be through migration from Canada to the United States, searching for bodies of water, nesting sites, and areas with plenty of food.
Geese Flock Migration Patterns
The migration pattern of geese is somewhat rigid, and geese sometimes will return to the same areas for winter and for nesting year after year. Geese migrate extremely long distances in search of a spot to nest and raise their goslings, fresh food supplies, and to escape the stress of harsh winter conditions. During migration in the summer, goslings have a very strong social life and learn from other birds which develops their behavior among their flock. While not all species of geese follow the same distinct migratory patterns there are many consistencies within their travel behaviors. Typically geese will navigate south during colder months, and north for the warmer months. Geese love settling in near or close to bodies of water. During migration, it is important for them to have an abundance of resources since their entire flock will migrate together. Some flocks will migrate in the hundreds and will all settle around the same area and bodies of water. Geese can often be found in more dense metropolitan areas because of the lack of natural predators, manicured green spaces, and safe man-made bodies of water. In some circumstances when geese find a spot that is plentiful in resources they will remember it and make it their seasonal home. As geese migrate across long distances at high flight speeds they can almost always be seen in their typical V flight pattern. As they migrate together they call out to each other in order to maintain their flock and not become separated during their long flights.
Goose Flock Communication
Geese have a variety of different vocalizations to use when communicating with their flock. From warning signs to signaling that the flock is ready to fly, geese communicate regularly within their flock in order to stick together and protect each other. Some geese calls may sound very similar to others, in fact, standard communication between the birds may sound like an aggressive vocalization or a warning call. During the flight, geese will honk loudly together, which is widely thought to help the flock with navigation and to remain in a cohesive flight pattern. By utilizing distinct honking patterns and calling out simultaneously geese can communicate their movement. By calling out together these birds can stick together and ensure no geese from their flock are separated and become lost. In the event of danger, geese will honk and call to each other as a warning signal. If a predator is nearby geese will alert each other through their vocalizations. In order to ensure their nesting sites and habitats are safe geese communicate regularly and are considered very social birds among their own flock. In the event that a goose feels their flock is threatened, they may do everything to increase their physical size and intimidate another animal. They may flare out their wings and stand tall, honking aggressively. These birds can be quite aggressive to outside animals, including humans, and in order to protect their nest goslings may firmly stand up against another animal.
Go Geese Go: Geese Control
When it comes to nesting or the places they choose to live during migration geese are quite consistent. As these birds are fairly stubborn and it can be extremely difficult to legally dissuade them from returning to an area they have settled in. Once a goose makes a space their home they will typically not relocate until their nesting season ends, or it is time for them to migrate to another part of the continent. There are many gimmicks that are marketed to property owners and property managers that claim to scare geese away or prevent them from choosing your property as a nesting site. These gimmicks include scarecrow-like figures, motion sensor lights, loud noises, ultrasonic frequencies, and other methods that simply don’t work. Our geese control service focuses not on physically removing the geese, but on deceiving the birds into believing their current home is no longer safe. While this technique will take some time and effort on our part, we find it to be the most effective method to relocate and remove geese from your property. Go Geese Go operates with the help of our specialty-trained border collie dogs. Border collies are typically used to herd farm animals and excel in this job. Under our care, these dogs are able to make the geese feel unsafe. Our border collies will simulate a hunting experience and cause the birds to flee out of fear. We will also utilize remote control boats in order to herd the geese on any bodies of water. Over time the birds will go against their natural instinct to stay in the same area and will find a new home.
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Consult With a Geese Control Expert
While you may be tempted to make control attempts yourself, geese will likely ignore amateur tactics and return shortly after being scared away. Geese are protected by federal law, so tampering with a goose nest or causing any physical harm to the birds is not recommended. Legal action can be taken against an individual or company that doesn’t follow these protective laws.
When working with a professional geese control service we are able to implement safe methods in order to remove the birds from your property. With our border collie techniques, we are able to return to your property regularly in order to train the birds to feel unsafe. This is the most humane technique to remove geese from a property. In some cases, we may return to a single property multiple times per day if the flock in question is more stubborn.
During a consultation, we can visit the site to assess the severity of the goose infestation and determine the best course of action. Once we understand the situation we will discuss services and we can begin the process of removing the geese shortly after. We provide a service that is hands-off for our clients, and we will rarely need to bother you with unnecessary details. Once we have the green light from you our team of geese control experts will start their work. To schedule a consultation, learn about our services, and get official pricing for having the geese removed from your property contact our offices today.