April 2018 - Wild Goose Chase NE

Border Collie and handler on a goose control trip

Spring Finally Happens, Goose Control Work Takes Off.

We started working for some of our clients, this year back in February. They were already getting geese on their properties. But that didn’t last too long as winter storms arrived in March. However, the snowfall was variable from even town to town, and we were soon back to work in a limited way. Through March and into early April our client list slowly increased as clients wanted us especially to keep geese pairs from nesting. This client list includes municipalities, schools, golf courses, corporates and some privet clients.

Most of April didn’t feel like Spring to anyone, but maybe it did to the wildlife, including the geese. Many different types of birds have been here for weeks. Robins were hopping around on my lawn in the last wind-driven storm, and Red Winged Black Birds have been singing for a long time. Depending on the location, geese had started to become territorial or not. We found only a few geese pairs who had gone to nesting. Unlike most years the timing of when geese nest seems variable this year. The weather has made it a hard early goose control season to figure out what is going on.

On a recent quiet Sunday morning, I slipped the kayak into a calm Berkshire County, Massachusetts Lake. The water was still as glass, and the air warmed from the evening chill. Spring, real Spring had finally arrived. Blade our three and half year old Border Collie sat in the kayak in front of me. We were looking for any nesting pairs near a clients property. It was so quiet I could almost hear the fishermen cast across the Lake. Blade and I did spot two pairs of geese. Our presence lets geese know they should stay away from our client’s property and gives me an idea of geese activity on the Lake. One of these pairs had nested on an island, and the other pair had not done so yet. As we got out of the kayak on the client’s shoreline, I marveled at the morning’s warmth, how refreshing to be out on a morning such as that.The weeks before had us working in cold, windblown weather that the geese did not seem to mind, though they mostly had postponed nesting.

For our next goose control visit, I drove up into the higher hills of Berkshire County in Massachusetts. The property we were visiting is on an old reservoir which several summer camps and residences use. Our client’s property has a beach and an inlet from the Lake which geese like to frequent. They nest in spring and raise their young in summer. The families of geese cause a great disturbance, getting in the way, leaving amazing amounts of droppings on sandy beach and lawns. The male geese can be aggressive toward people, camp kids, and counselors too.
This Lake on this Sunday Morning was still partially iced over. The air was also a bit colder, and the water had a bit of a chop to it, more like late winter.This time Nash, one of our rehomed dogs sat in the kayak with me. Nash is not a Border Collie but a rehomed mix breed that has been with us for three years. Years ago he would not sit quietly in a kayak on a goose control trip to help chase geese, but now he does very well. As I paddled through the choppy water, cold spray hit our faces.The geese either flew a ways further into the Lake or hopped up on the ice of partially still frozen Lake. None of these geese had nested yet. Spring had not entirely settled in at the camp.

As Nash and Blade and I loaded back into the vehicle and were to set for home in New York, I thought of how different the two Lakes were that morning. I had goose control visits in the Hudson River Valley of New York in the afternoon, and the temperature and arrival of Spring would be even more striking. On our visits, that afternoon we encountered many runners, walkers, fishermen, and even a lemonade stand. Everyone was enjoying the arrival of Spring in New York’s Capital District.

As evening set in on our very last goose control visit, the Border Collies and I were walking along a dock next to the Hudson River. A late middleaged couple sat on a bench enjoying a Spring evening, finally. Jim, our oldest Border Collie, and Skye were my team that afternoon. As we walked past the couple, Jim reached out with his head and gave a warm, dignified look to say hi to the couple. The woman patted Jim, and the man remarked, “Isn’t it a nice evening.?” ” Yes, I said, much better!” We all laughed and Jim, and Skye and I walked on into the evening’s warmth.

A Border Collie Named Blade,a well breed Border Collie becomes a goose chase dog.

The owner, a farmer, of Blade’s Mom, named him. Mary Thompson is in western Ontario and has been one of the better comparators in the sheepdog trials across Canada and the United States. She has a lovely sheep farm on the windy flat land. Mary competes very seriously and sells pups every so often.The pups are from her line of working Border Collies, using her females which she breeds from time to time to well-chosen males who have done well in sheepdog trials. Mary is breeding for good if not champion sheepdog trailing Border Collies. She is also breeding for good health of course.Blades Mom, Paris has done exceptionally well on the National level in both the US and Canada.Paris listens to Mary,”is very biddable” and does well on “light sheep”, flighty sheep. And Blades Dad, Slim from Georgia, is great at working with light sheep and also tough,hard to handle Western range sheep. It seemed like a very good “cross” to Mary.

When I was looking for a pup a few years ago,I knew about Mary’s dogs and was excited and put my name in for the pups Paris just had. I told Mary we would trial the pup someday, but primarily we were looking for a good goose dog and a good farm dog.Mary was happy with that as not every one who buys her pups can trail at all, but they all go to good homes.

Caleb got into one of our goose mobiles, Honda Element, and made the 8-hour trip to pick up the weened pup.It was well worth it. Caleb enjoyed meeting Mary and seeing her farm and seeing her Border Collies work with her sheep. Blade slept most of the way home, which pleased Caleb. Lori, Caleb, Sam and I were excited to introduce the little guy into our family and pack of dogs. He was a shy pup but not afraid of his new home or anything. I kept Marys”working “name for him, which she choose because we use a kayak with the goose control work.As Blade grew into a young dog, who is very fast and has swift maneuvers which are useful for working with sheep and goose control work. Blade is also a vocal dog.He greets you with a series of sounds and often comes up with a howl. I have read that suppressing a dogs vocalization, as we are apt to do in America, may not be for the best of the dog. Dogs should be able to express themselves vocally and with their body language.

Blade became a good farm dog on our homestead, working with the sheep and chickens and ducks. Like our other Border Collies, he grew to learn how to work the sheep by herding them to pasture and back. Farm work, herding helps dogs when it comes to herd-chasing geese for clients in New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Blade surly has his way of herding, which I had to figure out so I could handle him well.He can be emotional, but when you work with him just right, those emotions get used well. He has the desire to work and a close relation with his handler. Blade is more of a”gathering dog” than a “line dog”. A gathering dog is a herding dog which naturally runs out wide to bring in the sheep. A line dog naturally likes to move the sheep from place to place after they have been gathered. Most Border Collies, Kelpies, another herding breed, are one or the other in personality. Gathering comes in very handy, to use an old-time word, for goose control.A dog that runs around ponds well causes geese to think there is a real predator out there and they are apt to leave quickly. Blade can get goose-control visits done very well, and more efficiently.

Blade is often seen in play bounding almost like a deer through fields and woods.He loves to play with a ball, more than our other Border Collies and he does what is called a fount foot stab. A wild canid pounces on pray with their front feet, a front foot stab. With Blade this is play. Yes, and he has completed in sheepdog trials, I am happy to say.This year he is going to compete in the third level of Novice classes, Ranch classes. He did well last year in Pro Novice classes, coming in third in NEBCAs Novice Sheep Dog Trial Finals, after a successful trialing season.I am very happy that he is finding his inner “line dog”. This is making him an even better trialing, farm and goose dog.

It is great having a young Border Collie of his character and talent on the team, in the family. We love him as we do all our dogs. I think some year, I will see if Mary has another pup we can buy.

Goose Control Can Be Challenging, Border Collies Really Help!

Tara stalked down the side of the golf course pond, as I paddled at the geese in the kayak. I had placed Blade at the far end of the pond, in case the geese doubled back. Blade had done most of the work the first four times we got the geese to fly off one of the four ponds.The pair of geese would only fly off as we herd-chased them to come down in an adjacent pond. This rarely happens with this rapidity but this pair was really fixed on these ponds. The fear from the golf courses perspective is that the geese would nest right there and maybe go as far to raise their young right were hundreds of golfers play.

As is the case at schools and parks, nesting geese can attack people that get in their territory. Geese will also leave a lot of droppings.Golf course crews and golfers don’t want to play through lots of goose poo and worry about being attacked. So, it’s best to convince the geese through repeated visits that they should not nest in certain places, like next to fairways and golf course greens.

The golf course superintendent waited on the shore of the pond at one end of the pond. Tara onshore and I in the water in the kayak continued to herd the geese. Blade kept hold of his position at the far end of the pond, ready for the geese to double back, make a break again toward that end. Whether it was our persistence, or the fact that Blade and Tara looked convincing, the geese, this time, the fifth time, did not fly back to another pond when they flew off. This time the pair flew off the course. The golf course superintendent looked relieved. I was happy all that paddling was over but to a good end. Tarra and Blade looked satisfied.

The idea is, with repeated visits geese will find a place to nest where they don’t bother anyone. Of course, what is considered a problem or a nuisance is in the eye of the beholder. I go with, what the property owner wants.Lead staff at a school, municipality, golf course or business have to decide if complaints about geese ruining fields or fairways or threatening at doorways or in parking lots is worth doing something about.The management of the property has the responsibility. The real issue as far as I’m concerned is that there is more and more development of land here in New York and Connecticut and Massachusets, where we work.There is less and less space for geese.I am an advocate for land conservation.

After the geese flew off the pond and course, finally, I turned the kayak around and beached it where I put in. Tara and Blade came over to me as I climbed out. Border Collies have a close bond with their handlers, and these two are no exception. Every goose control visit is different you never know what to expect. Goose control is about nature after all. The Border Collies by just using there eye to herd-chase the geese cause the geese to feel uncomfortable enough to move. As the golf course crew helped me get the kayak back into the vehicle one of their crew played with Blade and Tara. They have amazing energy, these Border Collies. I was happy for the crews help after all that work. We often are working on our own, one handler and two dogs on goose control visits. But this visit was much harder than most. The kayak was put in the vehicle and the Border Collies, and I climb in, and we are off to our next visit, one of six this morning. I was tired but happy with our success and smiled at just what work it was to move that pair of geese. You never know what will happen on a goose control trip.

The next day we on a goose control trip we visit a municipality.It was getting on toward evening.As I drove about the Town, I spotted on one of the playing fields geese grazing while 100s of kids practiced baseball. Geese with so many kids around was quite unusual too. I parked the vehicle and Skye; our most experience Border Collie and I walked down one side of the playing fields careful not to disturb the kids, parents, and couches. With a word, I sent Skye on an outrun and without bothering anyone she got the geese to fly away. Skye and I walked off the fields on to the next adventure.

Non-lethal Wild Goose Control, “Humane and Effective”

Wild geese populations can be controlled on a property when they get overpopulated. Geese numbers get so high that their droppings cover fields and pollute the water. Geese can be confrontational with humans and can take away the use of an environment from other species of birds and animals. Ever since Humans have been Humans, there has been lethal and non-lethal ways to control wild animals and birds from running over gardens and field crops and homes. In modern America, the trend is to want to leave the wild animals alone. But sentiment changes when deer eat a homeowner’s bushes or a bear rips into garbage cans or a coyote grabs a small pet.
Of course, Humans have used weapons to keep wild animals from invading their homes in historic times or even today in remote locations.But non-lethal means were also used to keep deer out of a maturing crop of corn for instance. There is a diorama in the New York State Museum in Albany which shows Native People using noisemakers to keep deer out of their much-needed crops. What is being used in that diorama are noisemakers which are the precursors to birthday party horns and rattles. And Humans have used dogs to keep their homes, property, farm animals and crops safe for thousands of years.

The State of New York’s plan for the very large overpopulation of geese is to use lethal means. Hunting in farmers fields is part of that solution. The other lethal means is the Federal Government’s Fish and Wildlife Dept, where deemed appropriate, is to net and gas geese during what is called the yearly molt.Geese shed their wing feathers once a year and then grow new ones. During this time, geese cannot fly. However, New York State and the Massachusetts and Connecticut and organizations like the Humane Society recognize non-lethal means as very important and useful in goose control.Top of the list is goose control with Border Collies.

Lethal means in controlling geese is not possible very often due to the inability to hunt in specific settings. And many people don’t support killing the geese. And that is were non-lethal goose control with Border Collies comes in. As already stated, controlling geese and other wildlife with dogs is age-old. What is new is using Border Collies for this. Border Collies are dogs bred to herd sheep, mostly but in the last few decades, their skills and other abilities have also been used to keep geese away from properties. Border Collies work with their handlers very well and are good at thinking on their feet when working in all sorts of environments. Both are excellent qualities when working on public properties. Border Collies have a strong work instinct to move sheep and thus geese and a weak bite and a “no kill” instinct.Those last two qualities add to the non-lethal part.

Add this is why I call our goose control service with trained and experienced Border Collies and handlers, humane and effective. The effective part comes in because for the most part when we work a property our clients are pleased with the results. There are far fewer geese or none at all that stick to a property when repeated visits with the Border Collies are scheduled. And nobody gets hurt.That is job number one for us, the safety of our dogs and the geese. We take that all very seriously.

So when we herd-chase geese off a client”s property as I did the day I am writing this with Blade, I work him as I would our sheep.I set him up on what we call an outrun, and off he runs around the geese.Working Border Collies unnerve the geese.The geese instinctually think a wild predator is moving in and they fly off. We visit enough times, and the geese do show up a lot less. We do have the one mix breed dog, Nash, who has learned so much from our Border Collies. I know I can count on him.So when we come visit a property for a goose control visit, with two or three of our Border Collies, Skye, Jim, Blade, Tara, and yes even that mix breed guy, Nash, they will work the geese like they were working our sheep.It’s just that sheep don’t fly or swim. And that’s the point, to get the geese to go and stay somewhere else than the property we are working. Hopefully, we will maintain enough wild places, so geese have a place to be as us Humans have our places.