This Goose Isn't Injured: Waltham Animal Control

WALTHAM, MA —If you spot a goose sitting by itself on a patch of shrubbery this week, chances are it's not injured, it's sitting on a nest. The Waltham Animal Control officer has received a couple calls from concerned folks reporting a possibly injured goose at the Stop & Shop on Pleasant Street. Other folks have left bowls of water and spread out food near the goose.

There's just one issue with that.

"The goose is NOT injured, so please, just leave the mother to be alone. Dad is also hanging nearby and they share nest duty! Please stop leaving bowls and food around it," the Waltham Animal Control officer posted to Facebook.

And then there is the matter of the food. While a thoughtful gesture, the control officer pointed out that some of the food left is not good for geese. And then, what is not eaten will just get moldy and bad, according to the animal control officer.

Canada geese are second only among North American waterfowl when it comes to size, averaging 10–14 pounds. Prior to the 1930s, it was unusual for geese to nest here.

When live decoys were outlawed in the 1930s, many captive birds were released into the wild, according to the state. Because they had not learned a pattern of migration, these geese began nesting here. In the 1960s and early 1970s, MassWildlife moved geese from the coast into central and western Massachusetts. Enter a massive population explosion.

While MassWildlife has recorded geese living up to 22 years in the wild, some 60 percent of geese live less than four years, and only 10 percent live beyond 8 years old, though geese in urban areas tend to live twice as long as those in more rural areas, according to experts.

Throughout the early spring you'll see geese parents, who mate for life, taking turns sitting on the nest and walking off to find food and water for themselves. Adult females lay between four and six eggs in a clutch. By the time the young are six weeks old the broods begin gathering in large flocks and then head off to graze on lawns at houses, golf courses, and mowed parks that are well-watered, fertilized and bordering water.

And all that grass has to go somewhere once it's digested. Canada geese produce a half pound to a pound and a half of dropping every day, according to MassWildLife.

Aside from the fact that they're wild animals, Geese (and ducks) concentrate wherever people feed them. Authorities ask folks not to feed them for that reason and because feeding them encourages them to stay in one place and build up flock sizes the habitat can’t support. This can be bad for the water and prevent the geese from heading off on their migratory route.

Previously on Patch:

Why You Shouldn't Feed Geese Bread: Waltham Animal Control

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).