Oh, the Places You Canada Geese Will Go!

A pair of Canada geese make a pretty picture as they forage on the bank of a storm water pond.
Captured by Eric F. Frazier, April 8, 2025. Canon R5m2, RF200-800mm, 432mm, f9, 0ev, 1/1000s, ISO1600, handheld.

When I paraphrased the Dr. Seuss book title above, did you instantly think that by “go” I meant “poop”? Yes, that is this large bird’s well-deserved reputation: Wherever Canada geese go, which seems to be just about everywhere, watch your step! Their honking also bothers many people. But these are not the only problems they pose.

A New York Times story about federal workers destroying Canada Goose nests in Central Park got me thinking about the geese that try to nest in our community’s storm water ponds. Plastic mesh fencing has been placed around the ponds to discourage the geese.

Plastic mesh fencing is placed around the water’s edge to discourage nesting.
Captured by Eric F. Frazier, May 15, 2025. Canon R5m2, RF200-800mm, 800mm, f9, 0ev, 1/1600s, ISO2500, handheld.

Canada geese are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, but an FAA safety program that aims to reduce birds strikes near airports (recall the “miracle on the Hudson”) obtains waivers within five miles of major airports.

Central Park is more than five miles from an airport, so bird advocates are trying to stop the nest destruction there. They have a point, but Canada geese aren’t the public’s favorite birds, and airline safety is currently a growing concern.

I tracked these Canada geese flying in the standard “V” toward RDU airport, and was surprised to see them overfly a small, private plane.
Captured by Eric F. Frazier, May 15, 2025. Canon R5, RF200-800mm, 311mm, f9, 0ev, 1/400s, ISO100, handheld.

Is Suburban Sprawl Boosting Geese Populations?

Our house is less than two miles due north of RDU airport’s main runway, which angles 45-degrees northeast. We are so close, departures fly around us unless a storm forces a hard bank left.

Our entire community of 1,289 homes and 11 storm water ponds lies within about three miles of the airport. Within another two miles, woodlands are being cleared for thousands of new houses, and dozens of new storm water ponds. It’s easy to imagine Canada geese flourishing in these new habitats, if left unchecked.

Canada geese take flight at Lake Lynn in Raleigh.
Captured by Eric F. Frazier, December 31, 2024. Canon R5, RF200-800mm, 800mm, f9, 0ev, 1/2500s, ISO4000, handheld.

A NIMBY Species

I’ve made many photos of Canada geese and appreciate their natural beauty. Their resilience as a species, adapting themselves to human environments, is impressive, if messy. It saddens me that we have to choose between promoting airline safety or sustaining wildlife. It’s a topic too big for a short post.

In any case, I’ll continue to “shoot” Canada geese when I come upon them, as they make agreeable subjects for interesting photos. I’ve decided they are a bit like a rock and roll band you’d love to go see perform but might not want renting your Airbnb.

Check out the wingspan as this goose stretches her wings. Canada geese can grow to 19 pounds, so takeoffs are likely to be low and slow at first.
Captured by Eric F. Frazier, April 8, 2025. Canon R5m2, RF200-800mm, 432mm, f9, 0ev, 1/1000s, ISO1600, handheld.
Canada geese crowd a log for afternoon sun during a late November algae bloom at Lake Betz in Raleigh. Phosphorus in goose droppings alters water chemistry and promotes overgrowth of algae.
Captured by Eric F. Frazier, November 23, 2024. Canon R5, RF200-800mm, 481mm, f8, 0ev, 1/2000s, ISO2000, handheld.
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Eric F. Frazier

Eric F. Frazier is an independent writer, editor, book reviewer and co-author of GPS Declassified: From Smart Bombs to Smartphones.