When their numbers were dwindling, the uncommon sighting of a Canada goose was considered special. In recent years, however, Canada geese have clearly moved from pleasant visitors to annoying invaders. We may still enjoy seeing a V-shaped group of geese migrating overhead, but it's a less frequent sight as more of these geese become "resident Canada geese," failing to migrate north in the summer. Safer urban and suburban spaces with water features and plenty of well-kept grass have helped their numbers soar. Now, knowing how to get rid of Canada geese in your yard is an outright requirement for keeping your home safe and clean.
Countless yards, common areas, golf courses, parks, and recreation areas have to deal with filthy goose droppings and loud (sometimes aggressive) geese spoiling outdoor spaces. Though these geese can be problematic, don't give up hope. There are ways to combat these attractive but annoying birds.
Why It’s So Important to Know How to Get Rid of Canada Geese in Your Yard
Watching wild animals in their habitats is enjoyable and intriguing. Also, it can be a special treat to witness a wild animal visiting your yard or at a local park. Unfortunately, frequent interactions with these animals can encourage them to become unafraid of people, making them more likely to become problematic visitors.
Unpleasant Droppings
One of the most frequent complaints about Canada geese is the massive volume of droppings they leave behind. In fact, a single Canada goose can produce three pounds of droppings per day! Unsightly, slippery, and smelly, their droppings can also carry bacteria and other germs. All of these problems add up to Canada geese having the power to make your yard, park, pond, pool, and other outdoor spaces a dirty mess that you can't safely enjoy without constant cleanup efforts.
Aggressive Geese
Nearly as unpleasant as what they leave behind is the aggressive nature of many Canada geese, especially those protecting nests. Stories abound of angry geese chasing and attacking people. They can become aggressive as they protect what they see as their territory, particularly around smaller children and pets.
Plant and Shrubbery Damage
A single Canada goose can eat up to four pounds of grass per day. Multiply that by the dozens of geese that usually gather together, and you have a recipe for destruction. Learning how to get rid of Canada geese in your yard can save it from unattractive landscape damage, bald spots, and an increased risk of erosion.
How to Get Rid of Canada Geese in Your Yard
There's no single approach that's guaranteed to work for all of your Canada goose problems. But choosing a combination of deterrents based on your space and personal preferences can provide the results you want. Follow these tips:
Time Your Goose Deterrence Efforts Well
While Canada geese can become a problem any time of year, they are easiest to remove if you do so before they nest in mid-spring (generally mid-March to late-April). Once they nest and start protecting their precious eggs, they'll be more aggressive and harder to evict.
Make Your Yard Less Welcoming
One of the best ways to deter any nuisance animal is to prevent it from getting comfortable in the first place. Canada geese are no exception. Consider:
Feeding
It should go without saying, but if you don't feed the geese (including inadvertently with birdfeeders), they'll find your yard less attractive and aim for easier pickings. Of course, many parks do have signs prohibiting animal feeding, too. But it can be difficult to enforce, and many people enjoy feeding them.
Taste Deterrents
Make your yard and landscaping taste unpleasant with taste deterrent products, which give your greenery an irritating taste without any risk to people, pets, or the unwanted birds.
Shrubbery
Bushes and shrubs that geese can hide under for protection make your yard more appealing, so consider some landscaping changes.
Less Fertilizer
Everyone enjoys a lush, thick lawn — but so do Canada geese. Limiting how much fertilizer you use on your yard and how often you use it may make your grass less of a treat for geese.
Herbicides
If you have a pond or are near water, consider the safe use of herbicides for aquatic plants according to required guidelines and regulations. It may make the water features less appealing to geese.
Visual Deterrents
Flash Tape & Repel Strips
Simple, reflective, plastic ribbons, flash tape, and holographic repel strips repel birds. They catch the light and can make a humming sound in a breeze as they flutter, making them look dangerous to birds.
Optical Gel
A breakthrough technology only recently available, optical gel disks deter geese, and other problematic birds, by deterring them through multiple senses. To the birds, the gel appears like smoke and flame while also smelling like distasteful peppermint and citronella. If those aren't enough to deter the birds, they are sticky to the touch, adding a threatening feel of danger.
Goose Decoys
A pair of goose decoys that appear to be dead signal the presence of a predator to visiting geese. This will indicate that your yard is a bad place to stick around in.
Audible Deterrents
Many sounds can be generated that are unpleasant or frightening to geese. However, they must be varied, relocated, and altered frequently. This stops the geese from acclimatizing to the noises and ignoring them.
Audio deterrent devices can produce disturbing noises, such as distress calls made by different bird species. They can also make unpleasant or frightening noises, such as gunshots, horns, or sounds at ultrasonic frequencies that irritate geese.
Physical Deterrents
Preventing geese from entering your yard in the first place is always a good start to avoiding problems with them. Combining these physical barriers with visual deterrents can make your yard both difficult to enter and unappealing to stay in.
Netting and Gridwires
Sheets of overhead netting, such as StealthNet (we recommend a 4" grid for geese), and cables of Gridwire can keep geese from landing in yards or on water features.
Fencing
Gridwire and other fencing can be used to limit the movement of geese on the ground when placed so it's difficult to step over, under, or between the fencing sections. Ideally, you should place a line of Gridwire about a foot off the ground and at intervals every inch up to at least three feet.
Cleaning up After Geese
Celebrate successfully learning how to get rid of Canada geese in your yard by safely cleaning up after them. Goose droppings should be scooped and bagged. Small amounts can be included with your regular household trash collection. But for larger amounts, contact your waste services provider to verify their policies and your local regulations. Special cleaning products and tools are available if you need to clean droppings from hard surfaces such as sidewalks, decks, and patio furniture.
Know How to Get Rid of Canada Geese the Right Way
Canada geese are protected under the Migratory Bird Act. That means you cannot use any lethal means to get rid of problem geese. But combining some proactive changes along with a mixture of physical, visual, and auditory deterrents can effectively prevent or limit a Canada goose problem in your yard. Creating a plan for how to get rid of Canada geese in your yard is an excellent start for restoring your comfort, safety, and enjoyment of your property. Contact us today for more information on solving your Canada goose and other pest bird problems.
About Bird Barrier
Bird Barrier is a leader in innovative technology designed to prevent birds from landing, roosting or nesting. We specialize in urban bird control to remove birds humanely and effectively. Our website, birdbarrier.com, hosts a wealth of content to help people understand and identify bird control solutions for various problems with pest birds. Please contact us if you need help with a bird related problem. You may also benefit from our free guide, Bird Deterrents: The Complete Guide.
