Outdoors
The BDN outdoors section brings readers into the woods, waters and wild places of Maine. It features stories on hunting, fishing, wildlife, conservation and recreation, told by people who live these experiences. This section emphasizes hands-on knowledge, field reports, issues, trends and the traditions that define life outside in Maine. Read more Outdoors stories here.
I enjoy goose-hunting this time of year, but not the kind of goose-hunting you might be thinking of. Canada geese are roaming the state. They are one of the few Canadian products currently entering the United States without a tariff.
Canada geese are found throughout North America, sometimes in nuisance numbers. It’s hard to imagine that a hundred years ago, they were on the brink of extinction in many areas due to overhunting. They have bounced back remarkably, a testament to their adaptability.
Besides aquatic vegetation, Canada geese forage on grains, grasses and berries. They are not only comfortable around people, but they take advantage of increased development. Parks, golf courses and lawns provide food and a wide view of approaching predators. Geese quickly learn where they are safe from hunting. Thousands of autumn geese gather in fire ponds and mill ponds, especially in Aroostook County.
Even Canada goose chicks are adaptable. Goslings can swim within one day of hatching. They stick together in tight groups, making it easier for parents to guard them, which the parents do ferociously.
Too many geese can be worse than not enough. They damage cornfields, endanger aircraft, and soil neighborhoods. Just 50 geese will deposit 2.5 tons of poop in a year. I don’t know exactly how that figure was determined, but somewhere there is a grad student who got the worst research assignment ever.
Hunting pressure may be the only thing keeping the Canada goose population in check. During Maine’s September hunting season, the bag limit is 8 to 10 per day, and up to 30 in possession. A freezer big enough to hold that many geese would not fit in my garage.
It’s common to see flocks of Canada geese flying in V formation. Every goose except the leader benefits from an aerodynamic upwash created by the goose ahead. When the leader tires, it rotates to the back, and another goose takes over.
You’ve likely noticed that geese in V formation fly in all directions, not just south. They typically spend the night in a wetland where they are safe from land-based predators. When daylight arrives, they roam around looking for good places to forage.
Canada geese migrate during the day. They can travel great distances quickly. With a tailwind, they can fly from Bangor to Orlando in one day. However, they prefer a more relaxed pace, stopping to forage at well-known rest stops along the way. Many of America’s National Wildlife Refuges are located along migratory coastal flyways in the mid-Atlantic states.
Some geese don’t migrate at all. The subspecies used to restore Canada goose populations a century ago was largely non-migratory. Meanwhile, migratory subspecies have adapted to a changing landscape and warming climate, migrating less. They take advantage of corn stubble that was once snow-covered and open water that was formerly frozen. They crowd into developed areas, safe from hunting. Why migrate if it’s not necessary for survival?
A species that is successful and widespread often evolves subspecies within distinct geographic regions. Seven subspecies of Canada goose are currently recognized. The one we primarily see — the Atlantic Canada goose — is the most widespread in the east. The Pacific Northwest hosts at least three different subspecies of Canada goose, each with a very limited range.
Although all Canada geese resemble each other, one subspecies is so small that it was reclassified as a separate species 22 years ago. The cackling goose breeds in the far north, and winters west of the Mississippi. A few vagrants show up in Maine each fall. Finding this duck-sized pipsqueak is one of the things that makes goose-hunting fun this time of year.
Snow geese migrate in huge numbers, primarily on a route west of Maine. Ross’s goose is a smaller, rarer species resembling the snow goose that is mostly restricted to midcontinent. When one shows up in Maine, it’s apt to draw a crowd of birders.
Greater white-fronted geese are abundant midcontinent birds that stray into Maine. Pink-footed geese and barnacle geese are European birds that nest no closer than Greenland, but visit Maine on rare occasions. A big flock of Canada geese may have any of these interlopers hiding among them.
Finally, let me get this off my chest. It’s called a Canada goose, not a Canadian goose. Don’t call it a Canadian goose unless you’re in Canada. I made this same admonition in a column 12 years ago, and what name did the editors use to caption the photo with the article? “Canadian Goose.”
