How to Protect Yourself From a Nesting Goose
Goose: friend or foe? It mainly depends on the nesting season. If a goose has something to defend, it will defend itself, and a goose can spoil you .
Spring is approaching and the cute birds by the local pond may soon turn aggressive, waiting to hit unsuspecting children, dogs, and even adult adults. Whatever their flaws, geese are brave and Canadian geese seem to be very adaptable. Here’s one of the attacking golfer who, I recall, has an entire bag of weapons, but still has:
Following the incident last year, USA Today interviewed bird watcher Kevin McGowan of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, a branch of Cornell University. According to McGowan, geese were once threatened with extinction , but their population has grown dramatically, and they are too comfortable with people:
Geese nest on the ground near ponds and near people. Other birds often nest in trees or away from people. If we approach these nests, as in the case of seagulls, they too can make an attack.
“You don’t see many nesting birds, here’s the thing,” McGowan said. “Rarely do you invade a bird’s nest space that seems to be defending itself against you, but they will.”
Also, the reason for the attacks is the fact that Canadian geese, after many years of interaction with people, are no longer afraid of us.
McGowan mostly advises staying away from geese, period, but they’re kind of all over the place. The good people at UPS Launch have provided a great instructional video on how to deal with an angry or defensive goose crossing your path; it’s less than a minute, informative and interesting.
I take it strongly on a personal level because when I was nine I was dumped by a goose who was angry and wanted my bread. Having never seen this video, I ran with all my might and crashed into a pole. My knee was swollen for several weeks, but at least the goose decided that I was no longer a threat and left. Here’s the basic information I need then:
NO NEED
- Act threateningly or timidly around the goose
- Turn away
- Run away
MAKE
- Confident eye contact
- Back away slowly while looking at the goose
- Respect all wild animals, even those that hum like clowns and waddle.