Canada Geese are ahead of schedule this year with a confirmed nest and eggs already! This is several weeks early due to the milder temperatures.
Geese usually start to establish their nesting territory around Valentine's day. The behavior they show during this time would be aggressively guarding their eventual nest. Nests can be found in mulch beds, ornamental grass tufts, on flat roofs and in parking lot islands. A pair will typically nest within 5 feet of the previous year's nest, so they do try to nest where they have had success in the past. Geese generally mate for life and can hatch up to 13 eggs. The female will lay the clutch of eggs and start incubation by sitting on them for up to 28-32 days. We normally see young hatched in mid to late March-May. Most goslings are flighted around August as it takes their feathers this long to develop. During this time, you may see loose feathers littering the ground and you cannot think of removing a birds nest . Those loose feathers are from the adult geese who are also gaining new flight feathers. Only once the geese are fully flighted and the nest is vacated will the aggressive behavior stop. So a pair of nesting geese could potentially provide 6 months of aggressive behavior, mess and inconvenience!!
The photo of the goose with the mangled looking wings is suffering from Angel Wing, a condition caused by human feeding. Although people have good intentions, the food provided (bread in most cases) has high levels of sugars and carbohydrates, which causes the joint to grow improperly and affects their primary flight feathers. Unfortunately,, this condion is permanent and this goose will not be able to fly again. TLC Wildlife Management specializes in humane, biology based mitigation of Canada Geese from residential and commercial properties. If you have a flock or pairs of geese on your property, we would advise a site visit and assessment to determine the best mitigation approach.. TLC Wildlife Management can offer service plans to harass and discourage this aggressive behavior as well as future nesting or birds in vents remove. We can offer an integrated plan suited to your specific needs and employ a number of methods to ensure long-term success. If you have nesting geese, or geese spending more and more time in areas you would prefer they wouldn't, call today! Now is the time to set up a mitigation plan for the best outcomes, before nests are established and eggs have appeared.
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