Understanding Goose Control: Balancing Benefits and Challenges
Geese, particularly the Canada goose, are often seen as a charming aspect of local wildlife, gracing our parks, ponds, and open spaces with their presence. These birds offer a number of ecological and aesthetic benefits, but their increasing numbers in urban and suburban areas can pose significant challenges. Effective goose control is essential to maintain the balance between appreciating these birds and managing the issues they can create.
The Benefits of Geese
Geese play an important role in their ecosystems. Here are some key benefits:
- Biodiversity: Geese contribute to local biodiversity, supporting various aspects of the food web. Their presence can attract predators and scavengers, contributing to the health of local ecosystems.
- Seed Dispersal: As geese feed on plants, they help in seed dispersal, aiding the growth and spread of various plant species. This natural process supports plant diversity and helps maintain healthy landscapes.
- Scenic Value: Geese enhance the aesthetic value of natural spaces. Their graceful movements and social behaviors make them a delightful sight for nature lovers and bird watchers.
The Challenges of Geese in Urban Landscapes
Despite these benefits, geese can create several problems when they inhabit urban landscapes in large numbers. Here are some of the key issues:
- Damage to Vegetation: Geese are voracious grazers and can cause significant damage to lawns, gardens, and parks. Their feeding habits can lead to overgrazing, resulting in bare patches and soil erosion.
- Droppings: One of the most noticeable issues with large goose populations is the amount of droppings they produce. Goose droppings can accumulate quickly, creating unsanitary conditions in parks, playgrounds, and public spaces. This can lead to the spread of diseases and create slip hazards.
- Aggressive Behavior: During the nesting season, geese can become very territorial and aggressive, posing a risk to people and pets. This can be particularly concerning in areas like playgrounds where children are present.
- Water Quality: Geese often congregate near water bodies, and their droppings can contribute to nutrient pollution. This can lead to algal blooms and degraded water quality, affecting both aquatic life and human health.
The Necessity for Goose Control
Given these challenges, it is clear that effective goose control measures are necessary to protect our landscapes and public spaces. By implementing a balanced approach, we can enjoy the beauty of geese while protecting our landscapes and communities from the challenges they present.
Effective goose control requires a multifaceted strategy that can include habitat modification, repellents, exclusion techniques, scare tactics, and population management. With careful planning and execution, we can achieve a harmonious coexistence with these birds, ensuring our environments remain clean, safe, and enjoyable for everyone.
What we can do to eliminate geese?
You must have an issue with Canada Geese or you would not be on our website to explore GOOSE REMOVAL OPTIONS. The GEESE must be either extremely aggressive or leaving such a mess that they have overstayed their welcome… We get it & we can help! We manage many commercial properties, warehouses, parks & so much more around Metro Atlanta who have had many years of dealing with geese and all of the issues that come with them every single year – UNTIL THEY HIRED US. There is hope!
Regardless if you are able to get a permit for Goose Removal or not, we can implement a Goose Hazing program to the point that the Geese feel so uncomfortable that they move on to somewhere else. Often times the DNR allows for a limited # of the Nuisance Geese to be removed (Example 10 out of 40). This is when hazing & harassing is the BEST option.
Goose Hazing Services
This is a program where we implement a combination of several measures, visual & auditory, to overwhelm the geese and make them feel uncomfortable enough to leave. If every time they return (testing the waters) we have a multitude of measures to harass them they will continue to take off. We implement many HUMANE measures to harass the Geese (all of them) not just one or two. The licensed Wildlife Technician will determine, based upon the specifics of your circumstances, which measures will be most effective considering the time of day, number of visits, and much more. We will create either a one-time program or an annual on-going program which combines many varied measures to prevent the geese from being habituated to the effort.
Goose Removal Services
THIS REQUIRES A PERMIT! In order for us to lay our hands on a Canada Geese we have to have a permit from the USDA or Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Once you obtain a FREE permit, you can hire us to come out and safely catch and remove the Geese. We can corral them into cages, or hand catch the geese under the right circumstances. We can also implement or make recommendations to deter future nesting. Our fees take into consideration all of the factors in the job from method used to time.
The Canada goose moulting season typically occurs in late May or June through early August in Georgia, although exact timing can vary based on location and environmental factors. During this time, Canada geese lose their flight feathers and are unable to fly for several weeks while they regrow new feathers. This is the only time we will even attempt to remove the geese.
It is our professional recommendation that you hire us for hazing, versus a permit to remove. If we remove them they can fly back as soon as they are through moulting. So it seems pointless & expensive.
To obtain a FREE PERMIT for Nuisance Geese removal you have to call Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources: (770) 918-6404 or (706) 295-6041
IF there is a NEST & EGGS you need to go to this link and fill out the form as a NEW USER then call the phone numbers above. https://epermits.fws.gov/eRCGR/geSI.aspx
Our Goose Control service area –
Alpharetta, Big Canoe, Ball Ground, Cumming, Dawsonville, Duluth, Gainesville, Johns Creek, Marietta, Milton, Roswell and Suwanee.
