Cantankerous Canada Goose | A Wildlife Conservation Story

Hi I'm wildlife conservation filmmaker Rick Andrews and in this short video we're going to take a look at what is by far the most numerous animal in Lethbridge today. Branta canadensis or as it's more commonly known the Canada goose. At times it seems these geese are everywhere. They're in our parks, on the river, on neighborhood ponds, and even on our golf courses. Yet unbelievable as it sounds during the 1950s, largely because of unregulated hunting, these birds almost became extinct in North America. This prompted officials to establish a wildlife conservation plan to reintroduce the Canada goose to its traditional territory. In the 1970s this plan was also aided by changes to our urban landscape. The addition of neighborhood parks, stormwater retention ponds, and new golf courses provided ideal habitat for them to feed and breed. Since they can't be hunted in urban environments and with no natural predators, their population quickly grew. And today it's estimated there are over 7 million Canada geese in North America, representing one of the greatest conservation success stories ever. By late winter and early spring they begin searching for suitable nesting sites. Nest locations vary. Some will nest on the ground while others prefer to nest in trees. I've even seen a goose nesting on top of a beaver lodge. The best nest sites are often hotly contested and just as hotly defended. It is also during this time of year that geese will run off their offspring from the previous year. At a year old these geese are now able to fend for themselves and the parents need to turn their attention to raising the next generation. Once a site has been secured the goose builds the nest and lines it with down pluck from her body. She then lays one egg each day until she is laid about five or six. During this time the gander stands guard over her. As the young begin to hatch they can already walk, swim, and forage for themselves. Sometimes they will form a large nursery group. Known as a creche, it is supervised by several adults. Taking turns at babysitting the goslings it gives other adults time off to feed. This is usually when you will find them in city parks. They love the lush green grass and the safety from predators that the ponds and lakes afford them. The young are still unable to fly and for a few short weeks so are the adults. Soon after their eggs hatch the adults begin molting their flight feathers. Unable to fly they have even more incentive to remain with their young. Yet again nature's timing is perfect. The goslings grow quickly and by mid-summer are already growing their adult feathers. By fall they are almost fully grown and begin to fly with their parents. This is when you will often see them flying in their typical v-formation. The leader sets the course as the others fall in behind. While the leader and those up front work the hardest, those further back are able to catch an aerodynamic tow. This enables them to fly longer distances more efficiently. Although it may take a little practice to get it right. As we see families join together we may think they are preparing for fall migration. But in southern Alberta it is not uncommon for thousands of geese to remain here all winter. In fact the Christmas bird count for 2019 estimated there were 47 000 geese spending their winter here. Lethbridge is surrounded by agricultural farmland where some of the best grain crops in Canada are grown throughout the summer months. After the fall harvest there are often leftovers that will sustain the geese throughout the winter months. Some of which can be found right on the edge of town. As fall arrives geese begin moving to the surrounding lakes and to the old man river. They will spend their nights here together before flying off the next morning to feed in the surrounding grain fields. After spending much of their day feeding they begin returning to the river and lakes around sunset. It's an amazing sight. The skies are filled with returning geese and their sound is absolutely deafening. Huge flocks of geese continue to return well past sunset and the only way I can continue to film them is with infrared light. With so many geese flying in tight formation having enough room to land sometimes can be a bit of a problem. So particularly in windy conditions geese will sometimes side slip. Momentarily flipping onto their sides they can drop several meters in a split second creating more room for themselves in which to land. If the winter is a mild one it doesn't pose much of a problem for the geese. But during cold spells when the temperatures plummet it creates much more of a challenge for the birds that have taken up residency here. Open water begins to freeze and there is less room for the geese to roost safely. Time to be wary of any predators that may be in the immediate area. Deep into winter the nights can be brutally cold and by morning if you look closely there is often an accumulation of frost on their backs and wing feathers. Although they look as though they must be very cold actually the opposite is true. The frost forms because their bodies are so well insulated that there is no heat escaping to melt the frost. So in early morning it is not uncommon to see geese swimming flapping their wings and preening to remove any nightly accumulations of ice and frost. There are also another couple of strategies they employ to stay warm. When sitting on the ice they will often pull their feet up under their wings while tucking their beak under their wing feathers as they sleep. But one thing I've always wondered is why their feet don't get cold when walking on snow or swimming in ice-cold water. Compared to the rest of their body their legs are really quite thin so their veins and arteries are located very close together where heat is exchanged between them. This process known as the countercurrent heat exchange helps cool the blood going to the feet then warms it up again as it returns to their bodies. These adaptations together with a safe place to roost at night as well as an abundant food supply allow the geese to remain here all winter thereby avoiding those long migratory travels. Well I hope you enjoyed this video and if you did please feel free to leave a comment perhaps telling me what you like best about it and while you're there don't forget to hit the like and subscribe button because there's plenty more to come. In the meantime here's a quick preview of some of the other videos you'll find on this channel.