Males tend to be larger than females, though their coloration is identical. Goslings are light yellow with greenish-gray heads when they hatch. As they mature, they become darker until they resemble the adults about the time they can fly, about 70 days after hatch. The average life span of a Canada goose is years. There are reports of geese living more than 30 plus years in the wild and an isolated case of a Canada goose living over age 40 in captivity.
Most Canada geese pair with a mate at age three, though some begin this process at two years. Pairs usually stay together for life. If one member of a pair dies, the other goose usually finds another mate within the same breeding season.
In Indiana, flocks break up into pairs for nesting in mid- to late February. Nesting activities begin from mid-March through late April. Ideal nesting sites for Canada geese are any place that provides concealment near water, including: islands; muskrat houses; artificial nesting structures; vegetation along shorelines; at the base of mature trees; under shrubs; in thick aquatic vegetation such as cattails; in flower boxes and landscaping in urban and suburban areas; and in doorways or on structures, especially rooftops, in urban areas.
Once nesting has begun, the male and female will both defend the nest. The female lays eggs about every 1. Once all the eggs are laid, incubation begins. The eggs are incubated for 28 days. The average clutch size is 5 eggs, though eggs is possible. All eggs in the nest hatch at the same time. The adults then lead the goslings away from the nest, within 24 hours of hatch.
If the nest is destroyed before the eggs hatch, the pair will generally begin re-nesting at or very near the original nesting site. Canada geese have a greater tendency to re-nest if the original nest is destroyed earlier in the nesting season. Both adults, especially the male, vigorously defend their broods for approximately weeks after hatch. This defense diminishes as the goslings grow older and begin to be able to fly. It is common to see several broods of goslings together, termed gang broods, during this time.
Gang broods may range from 20 to goslings following just a few adults. Gang broods are more common in areas of high nest density. Canada geese are grazers and chiefly vegetarian, though fish or invertebrates have been reported in their diets in small amounts. In fall and winter, Canada geese can often be seen in waste grain areas harvested corn, wheat, soybean fields feeding in mornings and late afternoons.
January 17, by Ian Caldwell. Canada Geese, often referred to as Canadian Geese, are quite possibly the most common type of goose found here in Western Washington. They live in many habitats, including those near water, grain fields, and grassy fields.
As a result, you will often see them in local parks that are on the water and have grassy fields. You might also see them on golf courses and at airports, which also have large, grassy fields. If you have a home located adjacent to or near a body of water, you might even see them on your lawn.
Canada Geese love lawns because they can digest grass easily, and, when they have their young in tow, lawns provide a wide view of any predators that may be approaching. In the spring and summer months, the diet of Canada Geese consists mainly of grasses and sedges, including eelgrass and skunk cabbage. In the fall and winter months, their diet shifts to be more reliant on seeds and berries, including agricultural grains, blueberries which is said to be one of their absolute favorite foods.
Other foods that Canada Geese like to eat include cultivated grains, insects, mollusks, and crustaceans. Canada Geese build their nests on the ground. They generally build them on muskrat mounds or other sites that are slightly elevated and close to water. They prefer a spot where their view is largely unobstructed in many different directions.
The female goose selects the site and handles most of the construction of the nest. The nest is in the shape of an open cup, and is made of lichens, mosses, dry grasses, and other plant materials. She adds down feathers and a few body feathers once the second egg is laid.
Her mate guards both her and the nest, allowing her to focus on the incubation, which she handles by herself. The incubation period lasts for almost a month.
The total nesting period is closer to fifty days in length. This humane technique, applied early in the development of the egg, reduces the number of young that are produced each year.
Currently, without egg control, up to approximately 2, goslings could hatch in Wascana Centre each year. To preserve flower beds and turf around the Centre and to reduce the amount of fecal matter on paths, feeding of Canada Geese or other waterfowl is NOT encouraged around the west lake.
This feeding restriction will help draw the birds to the east lake and away from the flower beds and turf around the west lake. Watch for posted signs around the Centre to help you find where you should and should not feed the geese. To the right is a map that outlines the no-feeding zone.
However, since no banding has occurred despite the continued goose management program here at Wascana. In park naturalists instigated a large scale banding program in Wascana Centre to monitor the current management program.
By individually marking the geese, park naturalists can determine how many geese are returning to Wascana each year.
More specifically they can determine how many young birds are raised in the Centre and how many breeding adults return each year.
In addition to this information, more can be learned about the age structure of the Wascana flock, where they overwinter, how many are annually harvested by hunters, and much more. During the summer of , 1, Canada Geese were banded in Wascana Centre. Sixty six percent individuals of these geese were adults, while thirty three percent individuals were juveniles. As of March , 7. Starting in some Canada Geese within Wascana Centre will carry a different kind of band besides their standard aluminum band.
Known breeding pairs will be marked using red coloured bands. These bands are readable with binoculars or even the naked eye. By banding these known breeding adults, park Naturalists will be able to learn more about pair bonding between Canada Geese in Wascana. The code on these colour bands are M to M See if you can observe a colour-banded goose in the park! Report your band observations, including date, specific location, band combination observed, if other banded birds were present including their codes, the number of goslings present, and any other pertinent information to naturalist wascana.
Wascana Centre Wascana Place P. P F E wascanainfo gov.
0コメント