October 7th, 2011
Several large flocks of Canada geese were seen flying south over Putnam County on Wednesday, October 5. Skeins of 25 to 200 of these magnificent birds flew fast and high assisted by a strong northwesterly breeze of 15-20 mph – the first from this direction in many weeks and a sure sign of frost to our north.
Later in the afternoon, GEESE OFF! staff reported 300 geese in a large pond directly to our south on the north shore of Long Island. They had moved on by the next visit in the evening.
Their epic journey from the tundra of the Arctic circle to their wintering grazing lands up and down the eastern sea-board is underway. Goose control now enters a different cycle with large groups of geese returning to ponds and grazing grounds that have been quiet over the summer. Long Island, southern Westchester and New Jersey are particularly popular wintering grounds for huge flocks of migrating geese due to the abundance of sheltered bays, reservoirs, lakes and ponds in close proximity to parks, playing fields, golf courses and large lawns.
As people and dogs retire indoors to escape the cold, the GEESE OFF! Border collies and staff will be working on these geese day and night across the autumn and winter to ensure they keep our clients’ properties as goose-free as possible.
To see how these dogs work, please watch the fourth episode of the GEESE OFF! short video series “In dogged pursuit of geese – How we do it.” http://www.geeseoff.com/new-york/westchester/geese-videos.php
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July 19th, 2011
Today we saw our first flying Canada goose since early June. We cleared sixteen of them from a school baseball field in southern Westchester and four from the grounds of a seminary.
These geese and their young have been flightless during a one month period in the goose calendar known as the summer molt. Starting in early June geese shed all their flight feathers. It takes a full month for them to grow back. During this time, sound goose control practice is to stop “walk-ins” invading our customers’ ponds or waterways and adjacent lawns.
The combination of lush lawns bordering water is an attractive proposition for land-bound Canada geese during the molt. They provide food and protection. The art of good goose control is to prevent them gaining a foot-hold on any property with similar characteristics. The combined force of swimming dogs or handlers in kayaks in the water with trained Border collies on the land has to be brought to bear day and night.
Canada geese tend to shed their flight feathers at the same time allowing relatives that were unsuccessful in the nesting season to help raise the young in a tight family group. They also re-grow their feathers at the same time. This coincides with the maturation of the goslings enabling the whole family group to take off together to seek greener pastures. However, not all geese start and end the molt at the same time. Some start in June, others in July. Nearly all geese are in the air again by mid August.
So what happens now? Expect geese problems to escalate as large groups of birds leave their water havens (ponds, wetlands, rivers and bays) at dawn. They will fly to well-manicured, watered lawns nearby. They will feed for as long as they are allowed, or until the sun becomes uncomfortably hot, at which time they will return to their ponds or waterways. They will stay in the water until the early evening when they might head out for a quick feed before dark. On cool, wet days they will stay at their feeding grounds all day – if permitted.
School playing fields and parks are particularly vulnerable as Canada geese emerge from the molt. This will be the pattern across the second half of July (the hottest two weeks of the year) and through the dog days of August. Speaking of dogs, you’ll be seeing more of the GEESE OFF! Border collies.
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