Originally posted by Russ:
For the past 4-5 years, I've had a pair of Canada geese show up every spring. They have never nested though.......
Did you guys catch the comment made by Mark Mitchell on page 25 of the current issue of PB about unmowed buffer strips along a ponds edge to discourage waterfowl.
this topic hits home. we've had a pair of CG(the same pair?) for the last 6 or 7 seasons. both the CG and local mallards have their youngins on our (formerly) seasonal pond cause (i surmise) there's no LMB in it. in the early spring, they come up from the 5 ac. ranch pond (which has LMB) when time to nest.
this year the CG had 5 goslings, and we watched them dwindle to then 4, then 3, then 2..........then they left with the two survivors that'd grown pretty big. we have fox, coyote, mountain lion, lots of owls, hawks, etc.....lots of things that'd like the youngins.
the first year the CG nested, the female settled on the roof of an old outhouse on the property. at first I thought she'd been bitten by a rattler or something. she stayed motionless for a week w/ her head draped over the side of the roof. then one day mom and dad and half a dozen youngins were paddling around in the pond.......
the CG have yet to congregate in large numbers, and like you Russ, I can tolerate a pair or maybe even two....but no more....just w/ the one pair we have enough droppings to fertilize 12 acres.
from my observation, the unmowed tall grass along pond edge has been good cover for the waterfowl....i've seen mallard, grebe, coot, wood duck, killdeer, black crown night heron, great blue heron, egret, kingfisher, all visit or will be nesting in area around pond. our 50 to 100 resident turkey also like it. we have at least half a dozen nesting pair every year. maybe mowing would discourage everybody in my case???
