Winged immigrants overstay their welcome
The Canada goose’s conservation status is listed in some accounts as “least concern; population increasing.” That’s something of an understatement if you’ve seen the Miami Valley Research Park area, where I live.
The grassy areas are essentially covered with Branta canadensis; it looks like another very successful breeding season. And the bike/hiking trails in the area are sometimes almost impassible because of these geeses’ aggressive behavior and fertilizing contributions.
In addition to local hunting restrictions, Canada geese are protected from hunting and capture outside of designated hunting seasons by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1919. That’s 100 years ago!
I remember the clever border collie named Zip at Cox Arboretum patrolling the ponds to keep the geese from feeding, thereby encouraging them to move out. But unfortunately, the scampy little dog died in 2014.
The bird books say they migrate, but it seems they just semi-migrate. Apparently they just move up and down the corridor as open water and snowfree grasses become available. Why else would they be here in early February? Don’t they have any internal clocks like the swallows of Capistrano or buzzards of Hinckley Ridge?
And the many many goslings! If they’re born here are they automatically American geese regardless of their parentage? We have a treaty obligation to protect them regardless of their parentage or immigration status. And to stop our cars as they sloooowly waddle across Research Boulevard.
Conservationists list them as “least concern; population increasing.” And apparently man has been assisting in this increase in many ways. We can’t kill them outright because of the treaty on migratory waterfowl. We have unwisely introduced them to the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Argentina, and even the Falkland Islands. (Imagine what an aggressive species like that could do to an island ecosystem.) With suburban development we’ve created holding ponds surrounded by open grassy areas, perfect for their lifestyle. We’ve also eliminated most of their natural predators and predators’ habitats.
We see masses of them munching on grasses in these Edens we have prepared for them, but, as is true of many invasive species, they’ll eat almost anything, including bugs and even urban and suburban garbage. Like many invasives, like rats and raccoons, they adapt well to “human-altered areas,” and like these others they are becoming serious pests. Their aggressive behavior belies their serene beauty, and their droppings, well ... you understand.
What can be done? Most of the civilized world has removed them from protected status. Yes, there are some “humane” methods, like addling eggs or destroying nests, but I don’t want to get close to a protective mommy or an aggressive daddy. And addling (removing, treating and replacing) requires advance contact with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
They’re handsome beasts, and their goslings are adorable little fluffballs. And their V-formation flight has inspired generations of artists and poets. So for many years, I enjoyed their seasonal arrival.
Not anymore. Now I think of them as potential Thanksgiving dinners. And when I hear them on the wing I look up and hope they continue on ... and then look down to see where I’m stepping.