A little about Canada Geese
Canada Geese are a long-term and abundant resident of Wascana. They are easily identified by their black neck and distinct white “chinstrap.”
In the spring, flocks of Canada Geese will return from their southern homes in South Dakota and Nebraska to Wascana Centre. Typically, they begin their journey north in early spring and start laying their eggs on the shores of Wascana Lake. If the weather is mild, eggs are occasionally laid as early as March 27.
Usually, the mother Canada Goose will lay between 5-7 eggs, though nest sizes can sometimes reach up to 13 eggs. After all the eggs are laid, the mother incubates them for 28-30 days, at which point the young geese will hatch. By waiting until all eggs are laid before incubating, the mother ensures that all chicks hatch within hours of each other.
The young birds will remain hidden under the female until they are dry, which can take up to 24 hours. At this time, both the female and the male will escort the young birds to the water. The whole family will never return to the nest, though the adults may reuse it in following years.
Unlike many other bird species, young Canada Geese are hatched able to forage on their own, so they do not rely on their parents for food. However, they depend on them for protection from cold, rainy weather and predators. The young grow quickly and can fly at the age of 8-10 weeks.
During the fall, migrating Canada Geese from across Saskatchewan and more northern areas will stop at Wascana Centre. As many as 10,000 birds will use Wascana as a resting stop. In the mornings and evenings, the birds fly out to surrounding agricultural land to feed on leftover grain. During the middle of the day and at night, they stay around Wascana Lake for protection.
Once the ice freezes over, usually in November, most of the geese will depart back to South Dakota and Nebraska. However, if a small area of water remains open due to aerators in the lake, a few dozen birds may overwinter here.
Management
Wascana is widely used by people and by geese. It is different from the traditional habitat for waterfowl as it is urban (lots of vehicles, foot traffic, and pollution), there is lots of food and open water in the winter., and there are minimal natural predators to control populations. To maintain a balance between allowing the geese to thrive and protecting the other components of Wascana Centre (e.g. turf, flower beds, walking paths, etc.), Wascana Centre ecologists are actively managing the Canada Goose population within the Centre.
Wascana Centre’s goal is to find a balance between sharing the park with the geese while providing a great experience for everyone.
Wascana’s goose management strategy involves many different techniques.
- Create “no-feed” zones with signage/ this discourages the public from feeding the geese with the goal of reducing human-goose conflict.
- Map active nest sites and control eggs numbers.
- Band Canada Geese in Wascana Centre. This allows the PCC to determine how many geese return to Wascana every year.
Historically, Wascana Centre used to capture and release Geese in Cumberland House. However, relocation is no longer recommended as a long-term solution as the geese often return to where they were removed from.
No Feed: Generally, the Wascana Centre does not recommend feeding wildlife. Feeding wildlife can increase aggressive behaviour, assist with the passing of disease, cause overcrowding, and cause deformities in our birds. There is plenty of delicious food in Wascana Centre for our wildlife to munch on. If you decide to feed wildlife, it is important to remember to follow no-feeding signage around Wascana and to make sure you are feeding waterfowl nutritious food. To help protect our beautiful flowers and lush grass, Wascana Centre encourages visitors to not feed waterfowl around the West Lake. We ask that visitors wishing to feel waterfowl to do so around the East Lake (particularly around the Waterfowl Park Display Ponds). Do not feed birds bread. Bread is not a good snack for birds. Bread can fill their stomachs up quickly and leave them without the nutrients they need which can lead to conditions called Angel Wing. Instead, feed them foods that are like what they eat in the wild such as,
- Lettuce
- Cucumber
- Corn
- Rice
- Bird seed mixes (make sure it does not have an invasive plants)
Egg Control and Management
Due to the very high number of nesting pairs of Canada Geese in Wascana Centre, nests are located during incubation and most eggs in a nest are rendered non-viable by applying an environmentally safe mineral oil to them.
This humane technique, applied early in the development of the egg, reduces the number of young that are produced each year. Currently, without egg control, up to approximately 2,300 goslings could hatch in Wascana Centre each year.
No Feeding Zone
To preserve flower beds and turf around the Centre and to reduce the amount of fecal matter on paths, feeding of Canada Geese or other waterfowl is NOT encouraged around the west lake. Wascana Centre encourages feeding around the east lake, particularly in and around the Waterfowl Park Display Ponds (east of the Conexus Art Centre). This feeding restriction will help draw the birds to the east lake and away from the flower beds and turf around the west lake. Watch for posted signs around the Centre to help you find where you should and should not feed the geese. To the right is a map that outlines the no-feeding zone.
Monitoring the Geese
From 1987 to 1993 Canada Geese that were translocated from Wascana Centre were banded by Saskatchewan Environment. However, since 1993 no banding has occurred despite the continued goose management program here at Wascana.
In 2009 park naturalists instigated a large scale banding program in Wascana Centre to monitor the current management program. By individually marking the geese, park naturalists can determine how many geese are returning to Wascana each year. More specifically they can determine how many young birds are raised in the Centre and how many breeding adults return each year. In addition to this information, more can be learned about the age structure of the Wascana flock, where they overwinter, how many are annually harvested by hunters, and much more.
During the summer of 2009, 1,077 Canada Geese were banded in Wascana Centre. Sixty six percent (715 individuals) of these geese were adults, while thirty three percent (365 individuals) were juveniles. As of March 2010, 7.3% (86 individuals) of these birds had been harvested by hunters in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, North and South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado.
Colour banding Canada Geese in 2010
Starting in 2010 some Canada Geese within Wascana Centre will carry a different kind of band besides their standard aluminum band. Known breeding pairs will be marked using red coloured bands. These bands are readable with binoculars or even the naked eye. By banding these known breeding adults, park Naturalists will be able to learn more about pair bonding between Canada Geese in Wascana.
Some of the questions that will be answered by this study include:
- Do Wascana Canada Geese mate for life?
- How does translocation affect the pair bond?
- How closely do pairs nest to the same site each year?
The code on these colour bands are M001 to M250. See if you can observe a colour-banded goose in the park!
