5/2/15 Urban Canada goose - King Cove, Alaska, USA
Observation: The baseball field, located between the Old and New Rams Subdivision, next to the Rams Creek area, I believe these are Canadian Geese, I have never seen them land in that particular location before. I have seen them fly over our town, but never seen them within the town, let alone between two housing divisions, where people walk or drive by on regular basis, dogs running lose, and this is just unusual to me. I believe this reflects the weather changes; I've asked a couple people if these geese have landed in that location before, one person said "she's never seen them there before" another person said "this is not new, even beach geese land there…" My question "Is this location new?"
Consult: This post was forwarded to Beth Peluso at Audubon Alaska for further consult.
LEO says: Alaska has six subspecies of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) - two small, two medium, and two large; they are the Cackling Canada geese (B.c. minima), Aleutian Canada gees fulva), Lesser (B.c. parvipes) and Taverner's Canada geese (B.c. taverneri). The Taverner's Canada geese gather at Izembek Lagoon near Cold Bay on the Alaskan Peninsula for a direct trans-Pacific migration flight. Why the geese have chosen your baseball field now, is a good question, but probably that they have found urban fields in other areas that they like, with good grazing and safety. If other urban areas provide any lessons, it is that once geese find an area they like, they may return year after year, sometimes becoming a nuisance (think a field covered with goose poop) or even a safety hazard (think airports). For more on understanding geese in urban areas and goose management, see article from the U.S. Human Society.
Resource:
Observations From Members 