February 24, 2010
Addle Do It
Addling eggs is the humane way to reduce Canada goose conflicts in your community
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The geese place their nest on the island’s tip, protected on three side by open water protects, and by thorny thicket on the remaining side. J. Irish
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Canada geese will be sitting on nests by early spring. The HSUS
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An average-sized clutch of eggs, just prior to addling. J. Irish
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Undeniably cute! But if you have enough geese, better to limit hatching humanely. The HSUS
by Maggie Brasted
Snow and ice means time to plan for Canada goose nesting season
Two feet of snow is keeping people in the mid-Atlantic region tied up this February while local Canada geese hunker down or fly to open water.
But even while dealing with record snow, geese already have other things on their minds. They are pairing off and getting ready for the upcoming nesting season.
One pair of local geese (I’ve nicknamed them Super Mom and Big Daddy), have been together several seasons. They always build their nest on a minuscule point of land on a tiny island in a small stormwater detention pond next to the ball fields.
After a few months of flying between local ponds and grassy fields with their extended family, Super Mom and Big Daddy were out there recently claiming their nest site.
Looking ahead to summer
This park’s ball fields and similar grassy open spaces across North America have the food and open vistas geese love. By summer, ball players will fill the fields every evening and weekend.
Meanwhile, Super Mom and Big Daddy and several other pairs of Canada geese make plans to raise goslings here this summer. To prevent conflicts between baseball-loving families and goose families, people will addle eggs in Super Mom and her neighbors’ nests.
Addling? What and Why?
To addle eggs, we treat them or remove them from incubation so they don’t hatch. This is humane if done at the earliest states of development. A contraceptive drug is another way to reduce hatching humanely.
Why addling? It limits the number of geese in places people don’t want more. And it frees adult geese from tending flightless goslings, so they can be encouraged to move themselves elsewhere before summer conflicts are greatest.
It takes a community to addle effectively
Would an addling program benefit your local parks, ball fields, and other open spaces? In order to addle, there have to be nests. Some properties have goose issues but no nests. In these cases, detective work during nesting season can uncover nesting sites. Then, volunteers can work with those properties to start addling. The most effective programs cover communities, not just one property.
Everybody needs some practical instruction before attempting to addle. Get trained quickly in our short online training course. You can also check our print resource, Canada Goose Egg Addling Protocol.
In the lower 48 states of the U.S., you need to register online with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before addling. (In Alaska and Hawaii, you need to apply in advance for a depredation permit.) Check on your state’s requirements. Many states simply accept USFWS registration, but some have additional requirements.
It may seem those shadow-less groundhogs must be wrong—spring feels very far off. But people need to take their cue from the geese and get ready for nesting season now.
Spring will be here before you can say, “The red, red robin is bob, bob, bobbing along!”
Resources
» Purchase a copy of Wild Neighbors; the go-to guide for useful, humane solutions to conflicts with wildlife.
» Find products to help you resolve wildlife conflicts humanely.
Maggie Brasted, Director, Urban Wildlife Education and Research, runs an addling program entering its 10th season. She has trained numerous volunteers and facility staffers to addle. She also moderates GooseTracks, an online group, which keeps her in touch with addling programs around the country.