Spring is knocking on the door. Soon the snow will melt, the frozen lakes will no longer be peaceful and calm, the grasses will change from brown to green, and migrating foul, such as pelicans and herons, will return to their favorite grounds.

Canada geese in North America are no longer considered migrating foul since most of them have taken permanent residence in cities across the nation.

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Geese begin nesting in March or April. Common sites are around ponds, lakes, hollow trees, hay rolls, etc. The female goose can lay up to eight eggs; one egg each day. Goslings learn to fly between 2 and 3 months of age.

Usually geese do not seem to be bothered by people, but during mating season they can become quite aggressive; especially the male goose, the protector of the nest.

Males are usually 2 years of age when they begin searching for mates and they mate for life. The male goose can weigh up to 20 pounds; females weigh slightly less.

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Migratory Canada geese were, some years ago, on the decline due to overhunting. But over time, their numbers rebounded largely because they have no predators and are protected in urban areas. Longevity of geese is 10 to 20 years.

As the geese take off for flight in V-formation, they are a spectacular sight in large groups of about 50 to 100 birds, but they can be annoyingly noisy. However, the biggest geese nuisance is their poop, which looks something like worms.

A goose defecates about every 20 minutes or so. It does not take a mathematician to figure out how much fecal matter accumulates in a short time; maybe a pound a day per goose.

Just looking around Fort Collins, there is hardly a sidewalk, park, cornfield, lawn or flower bed, deck, open space – including lakes and ponds – and even swimming pools that are not covered with goose poop.

The elderly, the very young, youths, school children, folks who walk to nearby stores – in short, all who walk outside – often have to tip toe through (not tulips) but poop.

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Picnic areas and city parks used for sport activities need to be cleaned of geese waste before the fun can begin. Even dog paws have to be checked after a walk to make sure no residue is left on them.

The littered fecal matter contributes to diseases since feces contain pathogens such as E. coli, salmonella, listeria and so on. It is hard to believe that geese droppings could cause such havoc since geese primarily feed on grasses, grains, aquatic plants, and fingerlings, but they also eat insects and food they find on streets.

What can be done to get rid of such a dilemma? Soon there will be hundreds more baby geese making their homes in our neighborhoods.

Several cities around the nation have already taken actions. Fort Collins could research and learn from their actions, or at least consider ways to clean the sidewalks and public places; property owners could protect their lawns by installing little temporary fences; and finally, city officials may take a work session or two to brainstorm the issue by inviting and listening to expert in wildlife control.

Let’s keep our city clean and explore ways – as a team – of how to get rid of geese fecal matter.

Ursula Lord lives in Fort Collins

Source: https://t-tees.com
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