Canada Geese

[check]

Hello all, we had a visit from Canada geese at our rental cottage for the first time in the eight years that we have owned the place. Of course they left their droppings all over the nice front lawn. Since this has never happened before I’m looking for ideas for how to keep them away. Probably something like a motion detector, combined with something that would scare them. Of course it cannot be something that annoys the renters who will be on the front lawn at the fire pit, etc.

These guys are not very skittish, either. When we drove up, they did not fly away, and I had to come running out of the car screaming and yelling and waving my arms to get them to fly off.

Any ideas would be much appreciated, my fellow TBNers!

 

[EddieWalker]

I've always wanted this problem. I've seen a couple in my pond in the last ten years, but it's very rare and they never left any fertilizer on my pastures. I've heard that golf courses have a lot of problems with them and if it's really bad, I would try to figure out what they do.

 

[awhelan]

Most likely, others are feeding them nearby.
Try this, make a little fence ot of string or tape 6" high, placed on little sticks etc. along the edge of the lawn next to the water. The geese won't step over it. Make it continious.
This will only work if they are coming in via the water, you need to make it too hard for them to land directly on the lawn.

Usually if you combine that with chasing them away whenever you can, tey will move on.
This worked for my friend at his home up here in cottage country. He also had chat with his "cottager" neighbours about feeding the "pretty" birds all day long!

 

[hayden]

Shoot one or two of them. They won't come back. I promise.

 

[Sono]

Shoot one or two of them. They won't come back. I promise.

That's exactly how... Once they establish territory they will return in flocks year after year and growing in numbers... stop it now or soon youll be ran out. Im surprised they ran off with yelling and arm waving, they are some mean a** birds and will attack.
Be careful tho, as they are protected in some areas !

 

[denchen]

A plastic owl will keep most birds away but I guess these geese will not worry about one of them. Now if you could get something that looks like a fox and put it in a corner.

 

[Blaszer]

We have an acre pond that is part of our "front" yard. The flocks are easy to keep off when they get too big with either my dogs, or the shotgun. The dogs only work sometimes because the birds know the dogs can't catch them in the water, so I will shoot the water right next to them several time and they leave. BUT we have a nesting pair that return each year that we have a love/hate relationship with. The male is very aggressive to any other birds during the spring, and dealing with 2 all the time is better than dealing with 20+, but as soon as the 5-7 goslings come, the mess starts.

But a shotgun is really the best way to deal with them

 

[buck12]

These things have to be the nastiest animal that exist. Our dog used to chase them but now they have the bluff on her. My neighbor installed an 18 inch fence along the pond which works to keep them out of his yard but that makes it difficult for kids to fish. At my rural property I know how I would solve the problem but in town that solution won’t work. I don’t want a fence between the water and yard.

I am interested to see how others have combatted the demons. We have multiple ponds in our neighborhood. There is nothing quite like going for a run at night and coming home with a nice coding of goose poop on your shoes or letting the dog in only to discover she is covered in goose poop or having a fine smelling coating of goose poop on the lawn mower tires.

 

[oosik]

Around here I get two or three mated pair every spring on my lake. They stay until the young are fledged then - whooosh. They only "haul out" on the cliffs on the far side of the lake. So - no mess, no problems.
View attachment 619241View attachment 619242 . Mid day. Evening shadows.


You shoot a Canadian Goose out of season around here - you might as well have shot a Bald Eagle.

 

[Diggin It]

Last couple of years when Spring floods took over nearby fields, we had a few pairs take up residence for a while. Pretty cool to watch. Noisy though. Flocks overhead could be in the hundreds and you can her them for quite a long ways off. Sometimes, it takes a while to focus on the flock among the clouds.