Geese. Nuisance. Funny characters. Beautiful. Obnoxious.
Here's an article that Katy wrote up (May 2025):
With all the cute photos and videos of the baby geese being posted, I thought it might be a good time to share what I've learned about our Canada Geese, from observing and reading. I consider myself the neighborhood duck whisperer/wrangler, and I've known some of our Muscovy ducks since they were ducklings. But the geese come with the territory, and I've learned to appreciate them in a whole new way since I've been here.
The most amazing thing about Canada Geese is that they mate for life, and (unlike ducks) both parents raise their goslings together. In the Spring when they're nesting, you'll often see a lone male keeping watch over the female from a distance; I think they do this to avoid attracting attention to the nest.
Once the goslings hatch, they will stay with the parents for about a year. The goslings will eventually be similar in size to their parents, but they aren't able to start flying until they're around ten weeks old. I think that's why there seem to be SO MANY of them during the summer months. The families have to stay on the ground or in the water during that time. And since they are unable to move around the city, they walk the neighborhood in groups looking for grasses and seeds to eat.
Once the goslings can fly, you'll see the families flying overhead together, practicing and preparing to migrate for Winter. They are also able to move around the city in search of food, so you may see fewer at a time, and you may see different groups flying in and fighting over territory.
Geese that have been fed by humans may opt to stay put for the Winter in a fairly warm climate like Oklahoma, and I'm pretty sure that's the case with many of the geese in our neighborhood. These geese are unusually friendly toward humans--especially humans who've been known to drop food. When I've gone out to feed the Muscovy in the winter, it's always been a battle to keep the geese at bay. If they see me by the lake with my duck friends, they make a beeline for us. I try not to feed the geese since they are wild animals and can find their own food, while the Muscovy are domestic birds that aren't able to migrate in the winter. They are very insistent, though, and I've had to scatter food for them just to allow the ducks to eat.
It's not especially good for the geese to be so trusting of humans, but I have to confess I do enjoy their company and feel like we have some sort of understanding between us. Or maybe it's just that they have me trained! I can hardly resist those little faces when they look up at me, wanting to eat the ducks' food or go into the ducks' swimming pool.
After the parents teach the kids to fly and where to go during the winter, the grown up goslings will eventually go off on their own. But once a goose has chosen a nesting spot, it will return to that same spot, year after year after year. They are VERY persistent about it. And then the cycle starts all over again!
Here's an article that Katy wrote up (May 2025):
With all the cute photos and videos of the baby geese being posted, I thought it might be a good time to share what I've learned about our Canada Geese, from observing and reading. I consider myself the neighborhood duck whisperer/wrangler, and I've known some of our Muscovy ducks since they were ducklings. But the geese come with the territory, and I've learned to appreciate them in a whole new way since I've been here.
The most amazing thing about Canada Geese is that they mate for life, and (unlike ducks) both parents raise their goslings together. In the Spring when they're nesting, you'll often see a lone male keeping watch over the female from a distance; I think they do this to avoid attracting attention to the nest.
Once the goslings hatch, they will stay with the parents for about a year. The goslings will eventually be similar in size to their parents, but they aren't able to start flying until they're around ten weeks old. I think that's why there seem to be SO MANY of them during the summer months. The families have to stay on the ground or in the water during that time. And since they are unable to move around the city, they walk the neighborhood in groups looking for grasses and seeds to eat.
Once the goslings can fly, you'll see the families flying overhead together, practicing and preparing to migrate for Winter. They are also able to move around the city in search of food, so you may see fewer at a time, and you may see different groups flying in and fighting over territory.
Geese that have been fed by humans may opt to stay put for the Winter in a fairly warm climate like Oklahoma, and I'm pretty sure that's the case with many of the geese in our neighborhood. These geese are unusually friendly toward humans--especially humans who've been known to drop food. When I've gone out to feed the Muscovy in the winter, it's always been a battle to keep the geese at bay. If they see me by the lake with my duck friends, they make a beeline for us. I try not to feed the geese since they are wild animals and can find their own food, while the Muscovy are domestic birds that aren't able to migrate in the winter. They are very insistent, though, and I've had to scatter food for them just to allow the ducks to eat.
It's not especially good for the geese to be so trusting of humans, but I have to confess I do enjoy their company and feel like we have some sort of understanding between us. Or maybe it's just that they have me trained! I can hardly resist those little faces when they look up at me, wanting to eat the ducks' food or go into the ducks' swimming pool.
After the parents teach the kids to fly and where to go during the winter, the grown up goslings will eventually go off on their own. But once a goose has chosen a nesting spot, it will return to that same spot, year after year after year. They are VERY persistent about it. And then the cycle starts all over again!