Three Ways to Give Geese the Boot!

by Terra Anders

Residential lakeside homes are sought after for their wonderful views, and temperate climates.  They also often have to deal with pest birds, like geese.  Homes that have large lawns with a clear line of vision from the grass to the shoreline may find geese settling there in increasing numbers.  Geese are grazers, so they like to waddle around snacking on grass and seeds in the lawn. Large groups of geese can be seen settled on lawns, sunning and preening themselves while keeping an eye out for predators. These habits make a large grassy area with a fast, visible escape route to the water, a sought after commodity for geese. As beautiful as they are to look at, these large birds soon wear out their welcome. They can quickly increase in numbers, fouling the grass, sand or boat docks with their droppings. 

The lovely Canada Goose is quite prolific, starting their reproductive life at about 2 years of age.  An average goose couple can produce about four offspring each year.  Since the geese live to be about ten or eleven years, that means that just one pair of geese and their offsprings alone can increase the gaggle to several hundred in just a few years!  If homeowners have not built in well-planned goose deterrents, the mess left by the geese families can depreciate the value of the property considerably.

Hunting geese as a means of controlling the population is frowned upon by many, it is actually a realistic means of controlling goose populations in some areas.  It is allowed in some states, but only under very controlled conditions.  Never shoot Canadian Geese on a property before first checking with the local Department of Fish and Wildlife authorities.  They can provide hunting limitations, removal guidelines and rules that should be followed without compromise.

Actually, some basic landscaping tips and a couple of easy goose control methods can be employed to keep the geese population in check and property cleaner, safer and more pleasant. Geese look for three main things when selecting their long-term residence: safety, food and adequate tall water grasses for nesting. Any kind of effective geese deterrent plan must address all three of these.

Goose-Resistant Landscaping: Making your shoreline less attractive to geese, but still a lovely view for humans isn’t as tough as it wounds. Eliminating the clear view line from grass to water is probably the most effective landscaping technique.  This can be done by setting up a physical barrier of some kind between water and grass. Wire mesh or polyurethane bird netting, even a white picket fence will work as long as the mesh or slat distance is no larger than 3 inches, and fences are at least 30 inches high.  Walking geese will not be happy with this.  If a more natural barrier is preferred, consider a very dense decorative hedge or long patch of wildflowers of no less than thirty inches high.  The barrier should be 20-30 feet wide and placed along the shoreline, then reaching back along each side of the lawn.  Any cattails or tall water grasses can remain on the opposite side of the barrier to help keep birds away from the lawn.

Motion Activated Sprinklers: What about those geese that fly in and land on the lawn?  Not to worry, the key is to make them as uncomfortable as possible so they won’t stay.  Sudden, unexpected water bursts into the large open lawn area can be a surprisingly useful geese deterrent.  Motion sensors detect when a bird is within 35 feet of the sensor, activating a water burst sprinkler system that shoots H20 up to 35 feet out and 45 feet across. Geese are unable to settle down and will take their friends and move along quickly.

Lawns that fail the goose taste test:  Geese that have already settled in will need more coaxing to leave.  Spreading non-toxic goose repellent over the lawn (or even along the shoreline) is another useful deterrent. As the geese snack, they eat the grape extract which irritates the nerves in the bird’s nasal passages and other mucous membranes. It is vexing to the geese and they will soon realize there are no more good eats there. The concentrated spray is mixed with water and dispersed using a standard hand-held sprayer.  Mow the law before treating it and re-treat about every four weeks to maintain.

Once their sense of safety has been removed by the landscaping; the nesting areas have been eliminated; and their feeding area is contaminated, the pest geese will leave in search of a more inviting home. Goose control can be environmentally friendly and still work to keep birds away from private property.

Effective Ways to Get Geese Off Your Property

by Terra Anders

Many landowners spend a good deal of time and energy on bird prevention or removal.
Geese, for example, are very social creatures and can commonly be found hanging out with their family and friends at docks, golf courses, park areas, wetlands, marshes, or residential lakeside homes. They are also prolific breeders, so even a small manageable group of geese can become a whole gaggle in a few short years. These birds are notoriously messy, leaving unsightly and unsanitary fecal droppings all over.  In addition to introducing possible parasites and disease, the feces can be difficult to remove and eats away at the protective coatings on vehicles, boats, decks and buildings.  This can result in a real problem for property owners and sends them seeking effective goose deterrents. 

If geese have already settled in to stay on your property, they can be motivated to leave by making the grazing area less palatable.  Large grassy areas can be sprayed with a non-toxic goose repellent that will disagree with the birds’ taste buds and send them looking for better tasting feeding grounds. Several other bird removal techniques are available that work to scare birds away from the property and encourage them to relocate elsewhere. Scare methods take advantage of the goose’s natural fear of predators or harm.  Creating the sense of danger in the environment frequented by the geese will send them packing to less frightening surroundings. 

Bright colors and the eyes of a predator may work to get rid of birds and geese in concentrated areas like pools, lakeside docks, or patios. One inexpensive solution might be placing large colorful PVC scare balloons with predator-like eye decals randomly around the affected area. Geese become confused and uncomfortable and leave looking for a less threatening location.

Lakeside properties and open areas may require more real-life goose deterrents.  Life-like plastic coyote decoys can be installed at the birds’ common entry points, convincing them to move along before they enter.  Moving these decoys from one entry point to another every few weeks will trick the geese into thinking this is a real threat and not a permanent fixture.
A motion-activated sprinkler device can be installed and programmed to release a spray of water when large birds like geese come near the property.  This is used in conjunction with a common garden hose and works quite well to keep geese away from the area before they even land. 

Some geese respond better to the sound of fellow geese in distress.  Weatherproof outdoor programmable goose sound systems are available that can be set to broadcast a specific goose call of danger. The call lasts for two minutes and repeats at set intervals, disturbing the birds and activating their natural instinct to flee.

Whether the geese are scouting for new territory, or have found a comfortable place to call home, any of these goose deterrent methods used alone or in combination, can offer property owners peace of mind and useful, safe and non-toxic bird control.

Goose Control Made Simple

by Alex A. Kecskes

A former chef at the Villa Victor in Syosset who claimed he was attacked by a goose sued the restaurant for $1 million. Richard Braue insisted that he was standing by a pond on the restaurant's property when he was charged by a Canada goose. In a fruitless attempt to stay clear of the attacking goose, Braue fell and broke his back.

In Jacksonville, Florida, a goose created somewhat of a ruckus outside an office building on Salisbury Road. Having built its nest near the perimeter of the building, the goose attacked passersby. Some say the bird is just protecting its nest. But police recently reported that the goose actually bit a woman's ear.

Residents in Gotwals Pond in Kimberton, Chester County, Pennsylvania reported that there were 500 to 600 Canada geese on the pond. In fact, Jeff Effgan, part owner of the Kimberton Country House restaurant--which is a stone's throw from the pond--said that one day there were so many geese on the pond, the water wasn't even visible. Needless to say, the pond smelled pretty ripe that day.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services, the growing numbers of resident Canada geese pose a threat to public health and safety and cause damage to property, agriculture and natural resources.

Without effective goose control measures, geese will typically flock around lakes, reservoirs, large ponds, and near rivers and seashores. They like to feed on aquatic vegetation, grasses, seeds and grain. When adult geese molt their flight feathers in the summer, they can't fly and simply gather in huge annoying flocks, pecking and bumping into anyone who they regard as a threat to "their territory."

Even when not attacking people or knocking down children, geese will leave an awful mess. The smelly, disease-carrying droppings can contaminate ponds, lakes and other bodies of water. And they're not exactly welcome around golf courses and business parks.
Fortunately, there are a variety of goose deterrents available to commercial property owners. These are humane, since many species of geese are protected by federal and local statutes.

For large, open spaces, one popular goose deterrent is the Supersonic Goose Deterrent. This easy-to-use device plays recorded goose-distress calls every ten minutes to alert geese that danger is nearby. Geese hear these calls and their natural instinct makes them leave the area. The devices come with one internal and two external speakers to provide effective goose deterrents for up to three acres. Additional speakers can be added to cover larger areas. The rugged device is both sun and waterproof and can be programmed to turn on or off at night.

For smaller areas, you might try hanging a few Visual Goose Scare Deterrents. One popular deterrent in this category is the Predator Eye Balloon. About the size of a standard beach ball, it intimidates geese with its large predator eyes as it bobs and weaves in the breeze. Geese take one look at this "huge predator" and they become too nervous to hang around and loiter. The balloons are made of a U.V.- and weather-resistant vinyl.
To deter geese from pools and other bodies of water, Predator Eye Balloons can be partially filled with water and allowed to skim the surface with their predator eyes facing up to frighten geese. 

The time to implement these goose deterrents is now, before flocks of geese arrive. It's also a good idea use goose deterrents in tandem. And to move them around for best deterrent effect.

Related articles

• Protect Your Lawn and Garden - the Geese are Coming! (goosecontrol.blog.com)
• Humane, Effective Goose Control (goose-repellent.com)

Humane, Effective Goose Control

by Alex A. Kecskes

Never underestimate the need for effective goose control. A transportation conductor in Huntington, West Virginia filed suit in federal court after a goose in a rail yard attacked him. The man was working as a conductor at the Keyser Receiving Yard near Ravenswood and was performing a brake test on a CSX train. While performing a required inspection, a goose, which was previously known to have nested in the yard, suddenly jumped out from under one of the railcars, striking the man, and causing him to fall. The man filed suit for pain, past and future medical treatment, loss of earnings, impairment of future earnings, and loss of enjoyment of life. All told, the damages amounted to $75,000.

Geese Habitats

Geese are drawn to large inland bodies of water--like lakes, reservoirs, large ponds, and on seashores and rivers. Without effective goose control measures, these large birds will return in large numbers to the locale where were born. For the most part, geese are gregarious and when adults molt their flight feathers (for about 3 to 4 weeks in the summer), they are earth bound and can become quite bothersome. Geese have continued to multiply, particularly in urban areas, since these locales lack the traditional predators (like foxes and coyotes) that control their number.

Lacking goose control measures, huge flocks of geese often lay claim to an area, leaving disease-carrying droppings in their wake. These droppings contaminate the quality of ponds, lakes and other bodies of water, leaving an unsightly and unsanitary mess at parks, golf courses and business parks. In addition, Geese are voracious consumers of lawns and shrubbery, and they will destroy gardens and farm crops.

Geese are also a safety hazard in and around airports, since they continue to collide with aircraft, causing major damage to engines and props. In some cases, these collisions can be potentially lethal, as in the case of a US Airways Airbus after a flock of geese disabled both engines, forcing it to land in the Hudson River. Goose control measures are often required at many airports.

Federal and local statutes, so only non-lethal goose repellents can be used against them, protect many species of geese. Below are some of todays most effective and humane goose control devices.

Sonic Goose Repellers

Using sound to scare pest birds is not new. But these ingenious devices exploit a goose's natural fear of predators to do the job most effectively. Sonic Goose Repellers scare geese off with sounds of distress and predator calls. They are most effective when they are strategically positioned in gardens, backyards, patios, and other open spaces.

The Scarecrow

These clever goose control devices deliver a healthy blast of water when wandering geese approach their active radius of detection. The sudden blast of water, startling sprinkler sound and realistic looking bird-like moving head deliver a convincing message to pest geese. The scarecrow easily connects to a garden hose, yet uses just 2 to 3 cups of water per spray. It covers approximately 1,200 square feet with a stream that reaches out 35 feet and 45 feet wide. The scarecrow works day and night for up to 6 months (over 1,000 'firings") on a single 9-volt battery. For added versatility, you can fine-tune both the scarecrow's sensitivity and spray distance. Scarecrows are perfect for keeping geese out of gardens, ponds and other open areas.

Chemical Goose Repellents

A highly effective and affordable goose control measure, Chemical Spray Goose Repellents are ideal for use in parks, shorelines, golf courses, cemeteries, lawns, yards, landscaping, shrubs, or any grass areas where geese have become a problem. The non-toxic liquid makes grass unpalatable to geese so they just move on to tastier food sources. Formulated from a grape extract that irritate geese, the chemical is safe for pets, geese and humans.

The best geese spray repellents can be easily applied using most commercially available hand-held sprayers. The application procedure is straightforward. After mowing the lawn area to be treated, apply an initial application, then wait about a week, and repeat the process. Two applications last for up to three months. The chemical won’t wash off with rain or water. The repellent's effectiveness varies with the weather, repellent concentration, and frequency of application. The best goose repellent is registered with the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Goose Netting

To exclude geese from specific areas in airports, courtyards, canopies, and rooftops, there's Goose Netting. This goose control measure usually has a 2-inch mesh size. In choosing the best netting for your specific need, choose a name-brand product that is waterproof, rot- and flame-resistant, and U.V. stabilized. Non-conductive netting is preferred for most applications.

Heavy-duty netting made of high-strength polyethylene is ideal for large, high stress applications. Some manufacturers offer netting with a burst strength of up to 40 pounds. If you're concerned about appearance, today's bird proof netting can be ordered in several different colors--including white, stone and black to blend in with a structure's color design.

Geese Respond to Non-Lethal Control Methods

by Terra Anders

Pack up a picnic basket, gather up the kids, apply the bug spray, and don’t forget the bread to feed the geese.  Sound familiar?  Children all over the world love feeding the geese.  What picnic at the park would be complete without this childhood tradition?  But what happens when the geese population increases so dramatically that they become a health hazard?  City officials all over the United States are often burdened with goose control issues like this.

In Wisconsin, Mayor Paul Soglin has been under scrutiny for allowing city officials to kill about 350 Canadian geese at four city parks.  The approval was given by Madison Parks Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture on June 25, 2011 after evidence of hazardous algae and bacteria had been found in some of the park lakes.  The problem had become so bad that a couple of the parks had to be shut down during the busy season.  Water supplies were compromised, and something had to be done to get a handle on the multiplying geese population. While several goose deterrent options for getting rid of the birds were presented, the choice to capture and kill a large quantity of the geese has certainly brought about a lot of controversy.

In a statement on June 28, 2011, Mayor Soglin confirmed that the about 200 Canada geese were indeed harvested and killed shortly after after the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a permit to kill the birds at four city parks. Citizen groups had been trying to prevent the killing in lieu of a more humane goose control method.

According to a recent WISC-TV report, although the killings did take place and the parks’ populations of geese were temporarily thinned, the geese have already begun to repopulate. Not only is killing a controversial goose control method, it is rarely successful in the long-run.  Much more humane, non-lethal methods are available, and when put in place with forethought and intention, these kinder methods can be much more effective.

Canada geese like wide-open spaces. To help control bird populations, adding rocks, bushes, trees, hedges, or other types of barriers can modify the large open spaces of the park lawns. Plant these between the lawn and the water to discourage the geese.  They won’t like having to take the long way around to the water.

It may be futile to stop people from feeding geese in the park.  However, posting signs around the park, explaining the overpopulation problem and  how people can help by discouraging feeding the birds this practice would certainly be an inexpensive educational tool worth investing in.  Park staff might consider giving weekly informational classes to interested park-goers explaining the habits of the Canada geese and why they need to be controlled,

Spread non-toxic goose repellent on the area that is over-populated. This repellent is most often made with grape extract and methyl anthranilate, a combination that geese can not tolerate.  Geese hang around the park because there is always a sufficient food supply.  When this goose repellent is used, the geese will soon move on to other pastures looking for a more suitable food supply. 

Removing abandoned nests in the winter season can sometimes stop geese from coming back in the spring.

Geese prefer low, trimmed grass, so maintaining an area of tall grass or flowers around a lake area can create both a visual and physical barrier to the geese.

Geese populations respond quite well to sound goose deterrent systems that broadcast a recorded distress call in an area for up to 6 acres. The system is completely programmable and can send out one to two minute distress calls at determined intervals.   When geese hear this troubled cry, they become nervous and will leave the area in search of safer ground.  This type of goose deterrent is weather-resistant and very effective in large open outdoor spaces like parks.

Goose control is not a passive event.  It takes maintenance and persistence to convince birds to move out; and stay out.  Geese that have become comfortable in a particular area will return year after year.  Keeping an arsenal of bird control measures at the ready will be a park crew’s best plan. 

Related articles

• Three Ways to Give Geese the Boot! (goose-deterrent.com)
• Goose Deterrents for Today's Homeowners (goosecontrol.blog.com)
• Protect Your Lawn and Garden - the Geese are Coming! (goosecontrol.blog.com)