Goosebusters: Good job so far!

By Richard D. Gainar, CEBS – Lake Management Committee

I have begun to see goslings hatching out around May 1st. We did a pretty good job neutralizing the goose nests that were located earlier thanks to the support and reports we received from many concerned residents. Now and through June is the time to be vigilant in watching for goslings and begin harassing them the day they show up. The longer you wait, the harder our job is to get rid of them.

According to Geoffery Westerfield of the ODNR, harassing the goslings is very important for limiting the number of resident geese on our lake during the rest of the year. Separating the goslings from their parents even for a short time is an effective form of harassment. Geoffery advises that whenever you can, try to separate goslings from the adult geese by stepping between them shooing the goslings away from the adults by waving your arms and making loud noises (do not make contact). If you harass the goslings and adults together it is less effective and can even be counterproductive. Your goal is to send the message to the adult geese that your property is not a safe place to raise their young and to the goslings that Lake Roaming Rock can be a scary place.

“Don’t stop anywhere short of the geese leaving your property”, says Geoffery. Simply chasing them to the water or the neighbor will not keep the geese off of your property (and is actually also counterproductive). Consistency and persistency is still key. Geese will “shift” around the property, especially those without goslings. Keep up the consistent and persistent harassment.

June 1st is an important date. Geese will begin to molt (i.e. lose their flight feathers) around June 1st. If you don’t harass them off the property by that date, it becomes very difficult to remove them and you will likely be stuck with the geese till mid-July.

Geese excrement is a contributor to the E. coli levels in our lake. In addition, it provides excess nutrients that feed the algae and weeds. We love our geese, but a few less wouldn’t hurt either. Thanks for being lake responsible!

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