Urban Wildlife - Canadian Geese
Resident Geese
Duck…Duck…Goose…Goose…Goose…
It may seem that Canada geese are everywhere, especially if you live along the shores of Lake Whatcom and have a manicured lawn.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies reintroduced Canada geese into the Puget Sound region and nationwide to provide hunting opportunities after the migratory goose populations had been in decline. This was accomplished by taking eggs and incubating them until they hatched. As a result, young geese were without parents and never learned their migratory routes. The geese became part of a resident population known as the Common Canada Goose subspecies.
As development increases, wildlife habitat decreases and we are left with large populations of fewer species. Canada geese thrive in, and are attracted to, areas with short grasses and limited barriers to the water’s edge. If this sounds like your yard, you are providing goose paradise.
Concentrated populations of Canada geese and other wildlife can contribute to higher levels of nutrients and bacteria entering streams and the lake.
