Urban Wildlife

The Canada goose is now a regular fixture year-round in cities around the world. They are giving our country a bad reputation

The Canada goose is now a regular fixture year-round in cities around the world. From New York to New Zealand, they are giving our country a bad name

Canadians cherish the idea that we have a good reputation overseas. We wear our flag on our sleeves because we believe the world sees us as good, polite, humble, as a nation of gracious guests. We like to think we are welcome most everywhere we go. The problem is that one of our most recognizable denizens and namesakes — the Canada goose — is fouling our reputation from New York to New Zealand.

There are seven types of Canada goose (Branta canadensis) overlapping in different parts of North America. They all share the trademark white “chin strap” in sharp contrast to a black head and long black neck. Generally, the farther north they nest, the smaller they are; the farther west you find them, the darker they tend to be. The biggest, the giant Canada goose subspecies (B.c. maxima), which frequents central Canada, is the largest goose on the planet. Giant Canada geese regularly weigh eight or nine kilograms, though double that size is not unheard of.

First referred to as “Canada goose” in 1772, 95 years before Canada even became a nation, the species was in serious decline by the 1950s, after a century of massive overhunting and habitat loss. The giant Canada goose was even declared to be extinct, but when a small grouping of maxima was identified in Minnesota in the 1960s, concerted conservation efforts began. These clearly have been successful. There are about seven million Canada geese in North America today.

Meanwhile, Canada geese have been naturally occurring in northern Europe, Siberia and eastern China, and thanks to human intervention, they can also be found in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France (first sent by Samuel de Champlain in the early 17th century). Introduced to New Zealand as a game bird in 1905, they are now being treated there as an invader.

Some subspecies continue to make long annual migrations (flying over a kilometre high), but the species is so adaptable that some abandon migration altogether. Cross-breeding with non-migrating variants and year-round sources of water, food, warmth and shelter in cities has encouraged them to settle in full-time. From a distance, particularly when flying in V-formation at twilight, plaintively honking their farewells, they are an endearing sight.

Then again, perhaps those tender feelings arise just because they are leaving. When they are on the ground in your community, these waterfowl are foul. Canada geese seem to prefer going where they will be least appreciated: farmers’ fields, tailored lawns, manicured parks and “denatured” golf courses. Drawn by the neatly trimmed grasses where they can eat at will while maintaining a clear view of any approaching predators, they will occupy and overwhelm a location in no time, eating, honking, menacing passersby and crapping everywhere. Their droppings can contaminate small bodies of water, making them unsafe for humans. They are the guests from hell. Of course, they are dangerous to humans in more dramatic ways too. Just ask Capt. “Sully” Sullenberger, the US Airways pilot who in 2009, after his Airbus 320 met a large flock of Canada goose, had to initiate a heroic landing in the Hudson River. Over the years, homeowners, golf courses and airports have all sought the most effective techniques to deter these unwelcome guests. These start with harassment: everything from filling a bleach bottle with rocks and shaking it madly amid the flock to shooting aggressive blasts of water or strobe lights. These tend not to work long term and can make returning geese more evasive and, in some cases, more aggressive. Some landowners try addling eggs and returning them to their nests. Airports and other large facilities often use trapping and relocating with limited success (the geese simply return next year) and by necessity regularly cull flocks under special permits. Protected by migratory fowl regulations, they are still legal to hunt seasonally in parts of Canada during parts of the year: about 500,000 are taken in Canada each year. The meat of the Canada goose is popular with many; it is often compared to roast beef in flavour and consistency. Still, despite all efforts, the Canada goose population in this country continues to grow, and nowhere more frequently than in our cities. Interestingly, perhaps the most effective way of deterring Canada geese from hanging around and despoiling property is to naturalize it. Given that geese feel vulnerable when they cannot see their surroundings and lurking predators, areas filled with tall grasses and sedges, particularly at water’s edge, paradoxically are unnatural to Canada geese. By redesigning urban park and recreation areas to resemble the land in its wild state, these unwanted guests, these Canadian tourists, can be encouraged to go elsewhere.

PERHAPS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY OF DETERRING CANADA GEESE FROM HANGING AROUND AND DESPOILING PROPERTY IS TO NATURALIZE IT