Geese numbers expected to be normal this spring

The number of Canada geese that migrate north this spring is expected to be the same as in the past 10 to 20 years, according to a waterfowl biologist with Environment Canada.
Jack Hughes, manager of population conservation with Canadian Wildlife Service, said a survey conducted last spring showed the number of geese that fly north was normal.
“We really haven’t seen a decline in geese in recent years,” he said. “The numbers appear to be holding pretty steady.”
Last year, hunters in the James Bay area reported harvesting a lower number of geese compared to previous years.
“We haven’t seen any big trends in the number hunted or the number of geese that are out there over the last few years,” Hughes said. “It’s not related to a decline in the overall number of birds.”
Hughes said the warm weather that arrived in mid-March last year likely played a factor in the number of geese hunters saw.
“It seems like when it’s warmer in the spring, the geese disperse right to nesting areas,” he said.
This falls in line with the wisdom shared by Andrew Solomon of Fort Albany, who said last year that when geese do not see snow or ice below, they fly at high attitudes and make less frequent stops to rest.
Hughes added that it is possible hunters saw fewer numbers because the geese are not flying in as many areas as before.
“The area that is surveyed is much larger because it’s not just along the coast,” he said. “It covers a very big area. And the geese just might be spreading out to other areas where the hunters aren’t seeing them.”
Hughes, who spoke with Wawatay News on March 11, said the number of geese hunters see this spring will depend on the weather.
“When it’s colder, they might get stopped along the coast or in areas where there’s open water, or in traditional areas where they might stop in the spring for a while,” he said. “But if it’s warm, I don’t think the geese go to those areas. They go straight to the areas where they’re going to nest.”
Many hunters speculate that geese are beginning to stay in southern regions during the spring and summer. And while Hughes said the goose population in southern Ontario is increasing, northern hunters need not worry.
“They’re not northern birds that are sticking around in the south,” he said. “They’re actually nesting in the south and their numbers are increasing. The northern birds keep going north.”
Every year, Wildlife Canada Services and Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources conduct surveys of geese in northern Ontario. This includes banding the geese. Hughes said most of the northern geese migrate to the U.S. in the winter.
“I just want to reassure hunters that we are keeping track of the numbers,” Hughes said.
“Certainly, if we do see a major decline, we’ll make it known to them. But for now, it seems the number is staying fairly constant.”