by Alex A. Kecskes
If you’re a homeowner living anywhere in North America, you may have had a run in with geese on your property. There are over10 different species of Geese. They can weigh upwards of 24 lbs and be up to four feet long. That’s a lot of goose, and a lot of droppings and damage to your garden. Without effective goose repellents or goose deterrents, your garden will be pretty much at their mercy.
The two types of geese are your migrating geese and your resident Canada geese. The former spend their winters in the deep Southern US and Mexico, then head to Canada to breed in the Spring; the latter will nest, lay eggs and deposit as much as a pound of droppings (per goose) on your beautiful garden. It’s not pretty. Resident geese will occupy your garden between April and August; migratory geese will use your garden for a day or so--enough to do some damage and leave their droppings for you to clean up.
Without proper goose control, flocks of geese will run roughshod over your garden and lawn. The droppings left by these large birds are no different than those of other winged pests. They contain diseases that can create serious health risks. If you have a decorative pond, spa or pool, you’ll have to clean out the droppings before you can enjoy these amenities. Public beaches have been shut down when goose droppings raised fecal coliform levels.
While there are all sorts of ways to chase geese off your property--including bang cannons, BB guns, avicides and firecrackers--these can be both ineffective in the long run and dangerous or annoying to family, neighbors and pets.
Fortunately, there are a number of humane, common sense goose deterrents that have proven to be highly effective.
One solution for deterring geese is a smart device called the Scarecrow. The second any bird enters its radius of protection, the Scarecrow springs to life, blasting the intruding bird with water. For any bird, this can be an unnerving and memorable experience, for the sudden blast of water, startling sprinkler sound, and realistic looking bird-like moving head add up to a very powerful deterrent.
Scarecrows are perfect for use in your garden and lawn, as well as around pools, spas and any water feature you may have in your backyard. They connect easily to most garden hoses and they cover about 1,200 square feet with a blast that extends out to 35 feet covering a 45-foot wide swath. Scarecrows are quiet, unobtrusive sentinels that guard your garden day and night from geese intruders. They are economical too, providing over 1,000 "firings" on one 9-volt battery. You can easily adjust them to the needs of your particular garden. Both the sensitivity and the coverage area can be fine tuned.
For smaller gardens, short walkways and decorative water features and ponds, consider the Mini Scarecrow. It works the same as its big cousin, but rather than using a water blast, it relies on compressed air to generate an annoying squeal intended to discourage geese from occupying your garden, pond or walkway. The Mini is activated the second a goose enters its radius of detection (typically, about 3 to 4 feet). Like the Scarecrow, the Mini can be easily fine tuned to the needs of your garden. The Mini will stand guard with over 200 sprays. It’s versatile too, for you can switch to a sound-only mode to save the compressed air for longer active performance.
There’s no doubt that geese in your yard or garden can be a problem. But if you use the right goose deterrent, you can save your property from extensive damage and contamination. The key is to be proactive and install these bird deterrents before the offending birds decide to invade your property and call it their home. Once they’ve settled in, it can be a challenge to get rid of them, for geese can be quite stubborn and aggressive pests.
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