It’s in your nature: Canada geese

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard: “It’s about time for the Canadian geese to migrate again,” or, “These Canadian geese are messy.” Well, the messy part is accurate, but the name was not There are Canada geese, a Canada goose, but no Canadian goose/geese; a common mistake.

Probably my first introduction to bird migration was when my father noted the huge flocks of Canada geese migrating south in October while we were tromping around woods. They at least piqued my interest in the mysteries of migration.

I will be honest with you, Canada geese, with their burgeoning populations and accompanying “droppings” everywhere, has made them one of my least liked birds. They rank low on my list with the starlings (competing with bluebirds) competing for that infamy. But Canada geese are worth noting due to their amazing adaptability to man, and their adapting to our warming North America.

Three subspecies of Canada geese can be found in Pennsylvania, one that breeds near James Bay, one that breeds farther to the east in Canada, and the third is the resident subspecies. In the early 1900s the goose population was in trouble, but protections by states, the federal government, and Canada have led to their rise. Please note though that prior to 1935, no geese even bred in Pennsylvania. The resident goose population growth has been overwhelming. They now breed almost anywhere; city parks, farm ponds, river banks, marshes, etc. They nest in every Pennsylvania county. The migratory subspecies numbers have remained steady or actually have dropped.

Today, resident geese rest on lakes, rivers or ponds by night and then migrate daily to agricultural fields where they feed on waste grains, or unfortunately fall-planted wheat fields. In fact, their diet has now changed to almost all agricultural foods rather than the aquatic and wild plants. They cause considerable losses to farmers, while their droppings spoil playgrounds, parks, schools’ athletic fields and golf courses.

I began teaching in 1975, and one topic in my environmental lesson plans involved migration. I remember taking photos of geese feeding in a snow-covered corn field that winter to reinforce to the students that these resident geese don’t need to migrate to find food. I don’t remember seeing any resident geese in the Times News region prior to that.

Canada geese weigh about 9 pounds (females a bit lighter) and are 36 inches in length. They lay usually about six eggs (up to 10 occasionally). The gander (male) doesn’t incubate but will stay close to the nesting female to try to help protect the nest from marauding raccoons, etc. After about 28 days they hatch, and being precocial, the young are soon closely following the adults. The adults about this time molt their flight feathers and they retreat to the water for safety. The goslings can be eaten hawks, mink and occasionally in lakes, snapping turtles or even a fish like a muskellunge. While nesting, and after the young hatch, geese are relatively solitary. By late summer, large flocks may soon form from numbers of family groups. Whether you’re a “goose fan” or not, they’re here to stay.

Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: Geese can fly to elevations of _____ feet in their migrations. A. 2,000, B. 9,000, C. 15,000, D. 20,000

Last Week’s Trivia Answer: Cranes and herons are not one and the same. There are heron (great blue is one) species and crane species (such as whooping cranes).

Contact Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com.