Early start for Goose Control at the Point Park This Year

May 08, 2024

SF Enlists Humans, Dogs ... and Raptors To Help Out.

South Frontenac Township has contracted Greenshield Pest Control to continue what has up until now been a frustrating effort to keep geese away from the Point Park and beach this summer.

“With avian flu in the region, beach closures last summer due to elevated eColi counts, and the regular risks that come with having geese that can be aggressive where families are gathering and there are day camps for children, we are trying to do everything possible to keep our parks and beaches clean, safe and open this year,” said Laprade,

Over the past couple of years, the township has employed various methods to keep geese away from the Park, with limited success.

We have tried alligator and coyote decoys, streamers, were not that effective and the decoys seemed to disappear, which was disappointing,” Laprade added.

Last summer, after the beach had been closed for swimming twice by mid-July, not and while many factors contribute to heightened ecoli levels in the water, geese droppings is one of them. In late July, the township took a novel approach.

“Greenshields sub-contracts with a dog trainer who provided herding services,” said Laprade, “so we gave that a try.”

The dogs herd the geese like they would herd sheep, as a form of harassment. The dogs were on site several times a day on a number days in late July and early August, in the hope that the geese would eventually decided to vacate the Point for a more friendly location.

“We did see a fairly significant decrease in the number of bird droppings at the Point towards the end of the summer. The geese would stay away longer each time the herding dogs came, and it even got to the point where the dog would jump out of the truck and the geese were gone,” says Laprade.

This year, Greenshields technicians are onsite on and in the vicinity of the park early in the season, looking for nests as it is now breeding season for geese

The Township has a permit to destroy nests and eggs, but is only permitted to work within the parameters of the ‘Handbook for managing Canada geese and cackling geese in southern Canada’ as prescribed by the Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada.

In addition to bringing herdings back earlier in the year, another sub-contractor that works with Greenshield has been retained.

Royal Canadian Falconry, which is based in Haliburton, provides raptors for bird control.

“There are other ways to scare off nuisance birds without raptors, however none of them are as immediate, effective, and environmentally sustainable as falconry-based bird control,” says the company website. “Royal Canadian Falconry uses nature's own instincts in order to deter problem birds by using the real threat of an apex predator to haze, harass, and chase nuisance birds out of a human environment.”

The public is welcome to come out and watch the birds of prey and herding dogs at work, but not interrupt them while they are working. Laprade also stresses the importance of not feeding the geese or wildlife to help with the deterrence measures.

“Feeding geese can make them reliant on humans and make them more aggressive. If they know they have a food source somewhere, they won’t go away, so we’re asking for the public’s cooperation once again to not feed the geese, gulls or any wildlife on public property.”

Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington Public Health monitors the water quality at all municipally owned or operated public beaches within the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington region. Monitoring is done weekly from early June until the end of August and includes a visual inspection of beach conditions and testing for bacteria.