Militant approach needed to control Canada goose population in border city, says expert

Chris Ensing · CBC News

· Posted: May 29, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

Managing Windsor's colonisation of Canada geese volition necessitate militant effort over aggregate years to genuinely marque a dent successful the fig of the birds passim the city.

That's according to Dan Frankian of Hawkeye Bird and Animal Control Specialists — a vertebrate power adept with much than 36 years of acquisition managing carnal populations.

"They're coming aft you and you're going aft them, and we cognize however militant they tin be," Frankian told CBC.

The erstwhile Canadian Armed Forces sniper and maestro falconer has traveled each implicit the satellite to assistance ample corporations and authorities agencies get vertebrate populations nether control.

Frankian said dealing with Canada geese needs peculiar diligence.

"I mean, they telephone them the Canadian Air Force not for chartless reasons. These things are good, each right," Frankian advised.

The City of Windsor has hired a contractor to region 150 eggs from 7 nesting locations successful Windsor. It's a method that requires a licence from the national government.

Council approved a $30,000 geese absorption strategy as portion of the city's yearly operating fund earlier this year.

Management program a bully start, says national government

Riverside-area councillor Jo-Anne Gignac pushed for action connected the contented aft she heard past summertime from a constituent complaining astir about colliding with geese portion riding a motorcycle connected Ganatchio Trail.

"He swerved to debar them. He was thrown from his motorcycle and spent 4 days successful the infirmary with a breached collar bony and six breached ribs," Gignac told assembly successful June 2024.

Geese crossing engaged roads person led to different collisions successful the city, successful immoderate cases sending radical to infirmary with superior injuries.

"These flocks of geese conscionable walking retired into the road, radical slamming connected their brakes, and it's a mess," Gignac told council.

But a spokesperson for the national authorities said Windsor's absorption program is simply a bully starting constituent that's in enactment with what akin sized cities crossed Ontario person been doing.

"However, situation modification and acquisition stay captious to mitigating human-goose conflicts successful Windsor," wrote Samuel Lafontaine, a spokesperson for Environment and Climate Change Canada. 

The national bureau 430 permits regarding Canada geese person been issued crossed Canada since 2020, and 97 per cent of them see ovum absorption methods.

'Do not fto the colonisation grow'

The Canadian Wildlife Service says Canada geese laic 2 to 8 eggs a year, starting when the adults are astir 3 years old.

The ample birds nest successful the outpouring successful acquainted areas for their full lives — which tin be as agelong arsenic 25 years.

That means 1 Canada goose could nutrient 176 eggs successful its lifetime.

According to the Canadian Wildlife Service, precocious April to aboriginal June is erstwhile geese are astir assertive — due to the fact that they're motivated to support their precocious hatched goslings.

Frankian said oils tin beryllium applied to eggs to forestall them from hatching — but that won't dissuade a Canada goose from nesting astatine a determination again.

He said the city's contractor should enactment similar a predator to the afloat grade that the national licence allows.

"Destroy the nest, destruct the eggs, bash it successful beforehand of the female," advised Frankian, who emphasized that the enactment needs to amusement the goose that each humans are a threat.

"The basal happening is: Do not fto the colonisation grow."

According to the City of Windsor, its national licence lone authorizes "the removal of nests and eggs during a defined period."

But Frankian believes outright, evident demolition of the nest and eggs is indispensable for the program to beryllium genuinely effective. Otherwise, the goose volition persist successful nesting again.

"You are trying to archer the goose, get out, don't travel back," Frankian said.

University sports fields protected by dogs

This isn't the archetypal clip Windsor has tried to get geese retired of fashionable parkland areas specified arsenic the riverfront trail.

In 2019, city staff placed two-dimensional dog-shaped cutouts connected the riverfront to effort to scare distant geese.

The University of Windsor tried the same, past had a amended idea: Employ an existent canine to pursuit the geese disconnected field athletics areas.

Winston, a St. Bernard-Mastiff mix, is owned by Rick Daly — manager of diversion facilities and services astatine the university.

Twice daily, Winston runs done the way and shot fields of the Toldo Lancer Centre, making beingness hard for geese.

"Ultimately it's conscionable to annoy them truthful that they're not nasty," Daly explained.

Daly consulted with play people operators to find the close attack to preventing the accumulation of "geese content" — the word Daly uses for goose droppings.

Daly besides encourages chap dog-owning unit members to bring their pets to field and assistance out. "We simply conscionable privation to mildly region the geese from locating here."

"The dogs won't needfully drawback them. They won't beryllium capable to."

Daly said Winston gets paid for his enactment with treats and hugs.

Mutli-year effort needed, says expert

Frankian said that a canine tin enactment to deter geese from frequenting a parkland — but it needs to beryllium consistent.

Chasing geese with dogs is the lone method that doesn't necessitate a national permit, Frankian added.

The stronger method would beryllium to get a licence that allows for carnal relocation of geese to different communities.

"Geese molt," said Frankian. "In different words, these formation feathers wholly disappear. They autumn disconnected each year. They're flightless."

That clip of twelvemonth is erstwhile experienced vertebrate power professionals volition dilatory corral the geese into manageable groups that tin beryllium enactment into trucks and moved elsewhere.

According to Frankian, the cardinal is to outlast the geese with your efforts: You don't halt until the geese springiness up — which volition instrumentality much than a fewer years.

"When they springiness up, you bash an other year, and past you're done," Frankian said.

"But if 1 goose comes backmost and says 'I'm going to nest here' — you amended get astatine it again."