Dealing with the birds
Giant Canada geese, their goslings, nests and eggs are protected under both the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and state law, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
There are nonlethal scare tactics which are OK to get geese to move along, including laser pointers at night, dogs, barriers, pyrotechnics, a grid on the pond, distress calls or grape-flavored repellents such as Flight Control.
ODNR may offer lethal permits to control problem geese between March 1 through Aug. 31. For more information, visit http://www.dnr.state.oh.us or call (937) 372-9261
Source: Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Lush green fields of grass beside calm retention ponds in a hunter-free subdivision are a little like heaven for giant Canada geese, said David E. Kohler of Ohio Department of Natural Resource District Five Office.
People don’t mind at first.
“You get a pair of geese and everyone loves them,” Kohler said. “They love the first pair. They love watching the gosling. Then as the population starts to grow, then there are problems.”
In a matter of a few years a pair can become 50 to 100 frequently “dropping” and “barking” birds.
Kohler said human and geese problems are exacerbated this time of year because geese are in a nesting period through June and have more interaction with humans because of the warm weather.
While the female sits on the eggs, the gander wards off “intruders” sometimes very aggressively.
“In some cases, they will fly right at (people). If folks don’t see that coming it could be frightening to them,” he said.
The birds were virtually extinct in the state between the end of the Civil War and turn of the century.
Partly due to a recovery efforts started in the 1950s, the giant Canada geese now boast a population of about 100,000 — about 40,000 more than the state’s minimum population goal.
The giants can be seen in parks, parking lots and waddling across streets.
Brian Weltge, executive director of the Humane Society of Greater Dayton, said his department has works with the ONDR to protect geese.
The Humane Society often gets calls from the public seeking help. They were called to a goose blocking the doorway of a Washington Twp. restaurant last year, scaring off customers, Weltge said.
But Weltge said geese shouldn’t be look at as problems.
“I believe we can all live in harmony they can live their lives and we can live our and we can minimize the negatives,” he said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2384 or arobinson@Dayton DailyNews.com.
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