By: Chrissy Hansen
When it comes to pest birds, one of the most stubborn species you will encounter is the Canada goose. With a population that has grown exponentially over the past 20 years, geese are taking up residence in many places where their presence is less than welcome.
Canada geese typically seek out open areas around lakes and ponds — where access to the water’s edge is unobstructed and predators are highly visible. This preference makes places like golf courses, retention ponds, parks, corporate grounds, and waterfront property ideal for nesting. Once geese have settled, it can be extremely difficult to make them leave the area.
The best time to evacuate an infestation of Canada geese is late summer to early winter. It is at this time, when all the geese can fly again and goslings no longer require special feeding areas, that you will experience the most success. New arrivals will leave more willingly, and original residents will be more likely follow suit. So if you currently have a goose problem, right now is the time to prepare a plan.
There are quite a few methods that can be used to repel geese — making landscape alterations, applying taste aversions to grass or other food sources, and installing intimidating predator replicas are a few common options. Another, more advanced technique is the use of recordings of natural alert and alarm calls of the Canada goose.
- Alert call: Uneasiness or concern about potential danger sources.
- Alarm call: Immediate danger requiring instant evacuation, without lingering to identify the source.
Dr. Phil Whitford, also known as “Dr. Goose,” is the first (and currently only) person to capture such recordings in the wild. Whitford holds a doctorate in biological sciences in the field of animal behavior, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in wildlife management. His studies over the years have shown that geese are too intelligent and discriminating to be fooled by anything unnatural; that the realistic nature of the alarm and alert call is the best way to permanently rid an area of the birds. Whitford has used these findings to develop sonic bird control solutions that are extremely successful.
If you are willing to put forth your strongest efforts at the right time of year, complete goose control can be achieved. Try combining a sonic bird control device with visual scares or taste aversion products — a multi-sensory attack will give you the highest probability of success. Once the initial goose inhabitants have been driven off, long-term results can be obtained with on-demand bird control tactics if and when new geese are sighted.
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