Canada Geese
Canada Geese
One of the greatest of conservation successes in the last 50 years has been the management and recovery of the Canada Goose population in North America. Only 50 years ago, to spot a large flock of Canada Geese was a very rare thing, and the population had fallen to the point that Canadas were considered uncommon or even extirpated from some parts of southern Canada.
Today, thanks to the efforts of groups like the Canadian Wildlife Federation and Ducks Unlimited, along with the efforts of the Government and sport hunters, the Canada Geese population is now over 7 million continent-wide. The range of the birds has shifted a bit, for as the climate warms short-stopping of the migration has occurred, and so some places have seen a dramatic rise in goose numbers. Short-stopping is where because the water is open longer in the winter and doesn’t freeze as much as previously, the geese don’t need to travel as far south during migration. Thus places like Chesapeake Bay have not seen a hug increase in goose numbers, but places like right here in Nova Scotia have seen a large population increase in terms of geese here in the winter.
The increase causes some issues, as geese do adapt well to some human environs – loving to eat the grass on lawns near watersheds or on golf courses – and of course, what they eat they also expel.
Overall, though, most people are excited to see the Canada Geese do well, and it is a thrill to hear the familiar honking overhead as the flocks fly about.
A true Canadian success story!
