First group of Canada geese sighted

[nestork]

It's official. Spring is here.

This morning I saw the first group of Canada geese flying north over Winnipeg.

By the time the snow melts, there'll be tens of thousands of them flying north over the city.

There's a huge wetland marsh located due north of Winnipeg. It's about

14 square miles of wetlands that are ideally suited for ducks and geese to nest and breed. It's called Oak Hammock Marsh, and it's said that ducks and geese that are born there will return to that same marsh the following spring to nest and breed with other ducks and geese. So, that marsh is like a duck and goose factory.

My understanding is that the Oak Hammock Marsh gets a lot of the money it needs to operate from Ducks Unlimited, and Ducks Unlimited is really the duck hunters of Canada and the USA. So, having that huge wetland north of Winnipeg helps ensure a large and healthy duck and goose population in North America.

They have a hiking trail through Oak Hammock marsh, and I've hiked it, but it's only open in the fall when the young ducks and goslings have already taken wing. I guess they're concerned about people disrupting the ducks and geese during the mating season in the late spring and early summer.

'About Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre'

[dpb]

...

Hell, not even seen any coming back across here on the central flyway in SW KS. There's Cheyenne Bottoms in W Central KS that's the stopover point similar.

We'd just as soon there were a few less, frankly. They're mostly a nuisance.

I did spook a pair of mallards from the cedars the other morning when went out to continue the tumbleweed cleanup. What they were doing here when we've had no measurable precip and no puddles in two months is anybody's guess...I've not seen them but the one morning.

The robins have been back in various numbers for several weeks, now, though...as well as the flickers, another early returner here.

[clare]

The "flying dogs" often overwinter here in Waterloo Ontario - but this winter they lost access to virtually ANY open water even in the Urban space - but they are back now crapping all over everything. Just when I don't need to shovel the office sidewalk for snow, I need to start shovelling all the goose crap!!!!!!

[JAS]

Here in NW Nebraska we have had steady flocks going north. Some circle and land in corn fields just east of us. We had some robins come early and I think they wondered why. Quite a few now along with the flickers,nuthatches,chickadee and junco and finches. Wed have the woodpeckers also but I feed the year round and have heated waters, the robins are always on the waters I think for the heat.

[Frank]

I used to love to goose hunt but Canada's started getting sparse and daily limit went from 4 down to 1 with shorter season. We were not allowed to shoot snows but now they overrun the marshes here in Delaware and there is practically no limit. Most of the Canada geese now in the state are resident. As Oren points out elsewhere they can be a PITA on golf courses and business sites.

[rbowman]

A lot of them hang around here too, which leads to a little conflict. Ospreys build large, if messy, nests and seem to prefer powerpoles. Maybe they need to recharge their cellphones or something. The power company puts up dummy poles with platforms to try to lure them away from the hot ones.

Anyway, the osprey pack their bags and head for California winters and get back usually later this month. Foxes don't climb power poles, so the geese like nests up on poles. They're here before the osprey show, so they move in. The osprey come back, glare at the squatter in their former nest, and go build another one. I've never caught the act, but when the goose decides the goslings are big enough to do gosling things, she rolls them over the side of the nest. They bounce a few times when they hit ground but most survive. Then the goose flies down and leads them off to the river.

To add insult to injury, the local baseball team is called the Ospreys and there was an osprey nest behind the centerfield fence so fans could watch the osprey cavort during the more boring parts of the game. (all nine innings, imnsho). Frigging goose moved into that nest last year too.

So, if the OP wants geese, I'll draw the damn things a map and send them on their way.

[rbowman]

cam/

This pair has their own reality show. I'll have to check out the pole down by the river. I'd seen a goose scouting it out a couple of weeks ago, but there wasn't much nest left. Geese don't do any property upkeep or home repair after they take a nest over. I saw something sitting on the platform yesterday but just the head. My naked eyes weren't enough to tell what it was.

[Stormin Mormon]

That's encouraging. I'm so tired of winter, and the heat bills are killing me. Thanks for the good news.