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A Mallard Family |
A family of Canada Geese |
Please click on a
question below to be linked directly to it and the answer.
A
Mallard/Canada Goose family has nested in a dangerous or undesirable
area. What should I do?
A
Mallard/Canada Goose family has nested on a balcony/rooftop. What
should I do?
A
Mallard/Canada Goose family has nested in a closed of courtyard and
I’m concerned that they will be trapped once the babies hatch. What
should I do?
A
Mallard/Canada Goose family with babies is walking along a busy
road. What should I do?
A pair of
Canada Geese have nested in a commercial/industrial area and one is
attacking people. I am concerned for the safety of the people and/or
the goose. What should I do?
There are some
baby ducks/geese in my pool. How do I get them to leave?
A Mallard/Canada Goose family has nested in
a dangerous or undesirable area. What should I do?
Canada Geese and Mallards often nest in areas that perplex the
people that observe them—in backyards with barking dogs, on cement
islands in the middle of parking lots, in courtyards frequented by
crowds of children. These species tend to choose nesting sites that
allow them to see potential threats approaching the nest—areas that
are flat and where visibility is good. In urban and suburban
landscapes, the areas that best fit this bill are often those that
have been manufactured or maintained by humans.
Nests already containing eggs should be left alone until the eggs
have hatched. They cannot be relocated without orphaning the
unhatched young, and are also federally protected from interference
under the Migratory Bird Act. The nesting process is a relatively
short one—the parent or parents (female Mallards nest on their own,
while Canada Geese normally stay in pairs to raise their young) will
incubate the eggs for 3 to 4 weeks, after which point the parent(s)
will walk their babies away from the nesting area, and to the
closest water source, on foot. This process that may seem dangerous
but is part of the normal development for these species.
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) website provides a
wealth of information about managing conflicts with geese, and
additionally has print materials available on resolving
human-wildlife conflicts. See
http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/ (hint: enter in the search
term “Humanely Resolving Conflicts with Canada Geese” to find the
HSUS multi-step guide).
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A Mallard/Canada Goose family
has nested on a balcony/rooftop. What should I do?
Some urban adapted birds, such as Canada Geese and Mallards,
occasionally build nests on flat surfaces on buildings. The
difficulty with this type of nesting site is two-fold: First, the
hatched babies often do not have easy access to healthy food or
water at the nesting site. Second, parents typically force babies to
leave the nesting site within a few days of hatching. The babies may
have to jump dangerous distances, often onto hard surfaces. Unless
the nest is less than two stories from ground level, intervention
will likely be required. Please call our
Wildlife Hotline at (416) 631-0662 for further advice.
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A Mallard/Canada Goose
family has nested in a closed of courtyard and I’m concerned that
they will be trapped once the babies hatch. What should I do?
Goslings and ducklings can become trapped when their parent(s) build
nests in enclosed courtyards. In these situations intervention is
usually required to help the family survive. Please call our
Wildlife Hotline (416)631-0662 for further assistance.
Additionally, prevention measures should be taken before the
following spring to prevent reoccurrence of the situation, as it is
common for members of these species to return to the same nesting
site in subsequent years. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
website provides information about managing habitat to discourage
nesting, and additionally has print materials available on resolving
human-wildlife conflicts. See
http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/ (hint: enter in the search
term “Humanely Resolving Conflicts with Canada Geese” to find the
HSUS multi-step guide).
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A
Mallard/Canada Goose family with babies is walking along a busy
road. What should I do?
The sight of a duck or goose family walking along or trying to cross
a busy road is a frequent occurrence during nesting season,
particularly in urban areas. Almost invariably, such families are
heading for a body of water where the young can be raised (the water
source may not be obvious, but geese and ducks choose their nesting
sites to ensure water will be within several kilometres of the
nest).
Concerned bystanders can help the trekking birds by following them
at a safe distance and minimizing possible dangers (e.g., waving to
drivers at an intersection to alert them to the presence of the
babies, asking people with pets or children to stay back). Although
it may seem the ideal solution to capture and relocate the birds to
a water source, this method is typically problematic and should only
ever be attempted when the birds or humans are in imminent danger,
as when on a highway where cars cannot stop. Chasing a healthy duck
or goose family, for example, will usually cause the adults to fly
away and the babies to scatter—this can cause greater harm than no
action at all and should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. If
you feel the birds or humans are in imminent danger, call our
Wildlife Hotline at (416) 631-0662.
Your own health
and safety is of paramount importance, please do not put yourself at
risk in trying to help geese or duck families.
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A pair of Canada Geese have
nested in a commercial/industrial area and one is attacking people.
I am concerned for the safety of the people and/or the goose. What
should I do?
Geese in particular are well-known for nesting near commercial or
industrial buildings where their defensive nesting behaviour becomes
problematic. Geese protecting their nests will often fly at
perceived predators (which may only be people parking their cars or
trying to get inside an office door). Erecting a temporary visual
barrier, such as a section of snow fencing (orange flexible fencing
available at hardware stores), between the goose’s nest and the area
where passers-by are being threatened by the geese will often stop
the behaviour. The barrier doesn’t have to be solid, nor should it
encompass the whole nest—it merely needs to block the gander from
immediate access to the nest. Geese will not usually go around a
barrier if this will interrupt their view of the nest in any way.
Constructing a visual barrier for nesting geese. To deter geese from
attacking, the barrier must be erected between the nest site
and area where attacks have occurred.
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There are some baby
ducks/geese in my pool. How do I get them to leave?
This situation requires urgent action—though babies may look like
competent swimmers, their abilities are limited early in life, and
because of the smooth lip of the pool they are unable to walk out.
Babies can drown quickly if they are not given assistance. Use one
of two options to help them out:
Option 1: Add water to the pool until it overflows. Babies
should be able to walk out once the water level is even with the
side of the pool.
Option 2: Provide a ramp. It can be fashioned from lighter,
floating materials such as the lid of a Styrofoam cooler or a
floating cushion from a deck chair. (If the babies do not use the
ramp immediately, throw a few of these floating objects into the
water so the babies at least have a means of getting out of the
water until they can be removed or find the ramp.). If heavier
materials such as wood are used, the end of the ramp sitting in the
water can be made to float by attaching an empty pop bottle to its
underside. To enable the babies to walk on it, the ramp should enter
the pool at an angle of 45 degrees or less.
A makeshift ramp for trapped baby waterfowl.
If the babies
do not find the ramp or swim to the edge of the filled pool within
an hour (or sooner if they begin to appear weak), use a pool skimmer
or other long object to gently herd them in the appropriate
direction.
If neither of these options are effective, call our Wildlife Hotline
at (416) 631-0662 for further advice. Please specify when leaving a
message that you have consulted our website.
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