Our resident Canada geese populate the expanse of lawn in front of Bay City's DoubleTree Hotel. HONKERS HEADING SOUTH? Nope, Most Geese Stay Here; Find Out Why
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Among the fascinating sights and sounds of late fall and oncoming winter are the movements of flocks of geese.
A state wildlife biologist rhapsodizes: "The sight and sounds of a flock of Canada geese marks the passage of time, the turning of seasons, evoking deep-seated emotions, and for many, affirming perennial connections with the wild."
Yet, as I also have observed, the recent dramatic increase in giant Canada goose populations can evoke an entirely different range of emotions -- from annoyance to frustration.
The other day a lone flyer flapped over my Monitor Township home far behind his flock, desperately trying to keep up. I worried about him, thinking the poor fellow would fall by the wayside in Tennessee or somewhere and never catch up.
As most people, I was under the belief that the flying geese head to warmer climates to spend the winter.
And, like most people, I guess, the idea that geese fly South every fall it is a misconception. I was wrong. They fly North in the spring.
Geese have a built in mechanism to fly North in the spring (iron in the beak helps them navigate -- a built in compass). Canada is a much better place to molt because of the longer daylight hours in the spring and summer and abundant water and grasslands.
Down in front of the DoubleTree one day last summer, yours truly and other walkers had to dodge the geese -- and their odious droppings -- on the RiverWalk.
Bay City today seems to be Goose Heaven. I don't recall seeing this many geese in my youth and I spent so much time along the riverfront with my young friends that we were known as River Rats.
So, it is a great relief when I see flocks of geese apparently heading South for the winter.
But guess what? The geese don't go South, they hang around here as long as there is open water.
The oddly named organization GeesePeace explains:
"During the first half of the 20th century, migratory geese were captured for use as live decoys. The resident Canada geese are the descendants of these captive migratory geese. The captured geese, flight feathers clipped, sometimes with light weights on their legs, lured other migratory Canada geese into lakes, wetlands and rivers during the great Canada geese migrations in the spring and fall.
"These captive geese were also bred in captivity. As a consequence, their descendants do not have biological need to migrate to Canada since geese nest in the area where they were born."
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reveals why we have so many geese now as compared to decades ago:
"The once nearly extinct giant Canada goose (Branta canadensis maxima) has experienced population explosions in areas throughout North America. This trend is due in part to the success of wildlife management programs and the adaptability of these magnificent birds."
In Michigan, the number of giant Canada geese counted each spring increased from about 9,000 in 1970 to over 300,000 today. Giant Canada geese nest in every Michigan county, but are most common (80 percent of population) in the southern third of the state.
This phenomenon is further explained by wildlife experts:
"By the early 1960's, because of the increased hunting efficiency resulting from the use of these live decoys, the migratory Canada geese population was threatened with extinction and the resident flocks were mostly gone."
To counter this near extinction, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and many State wildlife agencies began a program of re-population of wild Canada geese. They did this by taking the eggs from the nests of the surviving resident Canada geese and artificially incubated these eggs while the geese laid another clutch (double clutch).
Nesting enhancement technologies, such as nesting tubs which raised nests above ground, further increased the recovery by reducing predation of nests by other wildlife. By the early 1990's this re-population effort was halted because it resulted in large resident geese populations in cities and suburban areas, like the waterfront on both sides of the Saginaw River in Bay City.
Unfortunately, the geese born as a result of the Canada geese re-population effort do not have the imperative to nest in Canada since they are born here. Resident geese nest here, where their ancestors were forced to nest.
And since the climate is temperate in our area and the water bodies do not freeze for long periods of time, the resident Canada geese have no need to fly south to find open water and grass in the winter. Although in harsh weather they will fly south for the short periods of time needed to find open water. Migratory geese nest in Canada because that is where they were born.
Even when it is 10 degrees Fahrenheit, as long as the geese can find open water, they stay warm. The water is 32 degrees and the geese have down on their bellies and chest which insulates them from the cold water.
Resident Canada geese nest in the early spring and have their gosling in May. They must stay in the area to protect and raise their gosling. The gosling cannot fly until mid to late August well after their parent geese molt which begins in June. Therefore, the geese with gosling and the gosling are biologically "trapped" in the area where they had nested and then subsequently molted.
The geese that do not "molt migrate" and gosling cannot leave until early to mid August when they are again able to fly. Until then, they are trapped because they are flightless. This is a cause of frustration with Canada geese because it seems no matter what one does they do not leave. In fact, they cannot. Unfortunately, this period coincides with the start of the spring active outdoor activities and continues into summer vacation times when people are out in parks.
Yup, like Veterans Park and Wenonah Park in Bay City. Now we know.
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"The BUZZ" - Read Feedback From Readers! |
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shirleysocean Says:
On November 24, 2014
at 10:52 PM
That was a very interesting article. I didn't know that about the geese and I do enjoy watching them on the river. Thank you for the information.
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Dave Rogers |
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