Learn how to cope with Canada geese

LONDON, Ohio — They are a common sight in urban areas, taking up residence along riverbanks and community ponds, stopping traffic as they waddle across roads and making a fine mess of well-manicured lawns and golf courses.

Canada geese are viewed by many as a nuisance, but several options exist to help control their populations.

Program

Marne Titchenell and Bill Lynch, Ohio State University Extension wildlife program specialists, will present “Coping with Canada Geese: What Works, What’s Legal!” at Farm Science Review at 12:30 p.m. Sept. 22 and 23 and 10:30 a.m. Sept. 24 at the Gwynne Conservation Area Aquatic Amphitheatre.

Farm Science Review will take place Sept. 22-24 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio.

The specialists will provide visitors will basic biological information and ways to keep the birds off lawns, golf courses or in other urban areas.

There are 11 subspecies of Canada geese. All are migratory and rarely seen, save for one: the giant Canada goose. It’s this species that causes the most problems.

Several options

Titchenell said that several options exist to drive away Canada geese including using scare tactics and repellents, putting up physical barriers, modifying the habitat to make is less desirable and hunting them during designed times of the season.

“Canada geese are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so outside of hunting season, one can’t do a thing to physically harm geese, including the giant Canada geese, without a special nuisance permit,” said Titchenell. “But there are methods that do work well to keep geese away.”

Coyote decoy. One method that has potential is using a coyote decoy to scare away Canada geese. The birds have few natural predators, and the coyote is one of them.

“Placing coyote decoys on the property and changing the position of the http://www.renzosdecoys.com/predator.htm to simulate the animal establishing it territory scares the geese away,” said Lynch. “You definitely have to rotate your methods though. These birds are smart and will eventually figure out the tactic.”

Canada geese species were not always a nuisance. Native to North America and common in Ohio when pioneers were settling the area, the birds were practically driven to extinction due to overhunting.

In the 1950s, the giant Canada goose was reintroduced to the state as sport, but the popularity of hunting the bird never reached the proportions of earlier times.

The non migratory and adaptive nature quickly domesticated the bird. Within two decades, the giant Canada goose was found in over half of Ohio’s counties.

Natural resources seminars

The Gwynne Conservation Area will host over 20 various natural resources seminars during Farm Science Review. Topics include controlling aquatic plants and algae, wetlands, bats, muskrat management, tree identification, emerald ash borer, maple syrup, conservation tree planting, selling timber and native warm season grasses.