Canada goose

And then, you know, eventually they may get used to it and then you change it slightly and suddenly you're back at square one again and the birds are staying away.

So, um, yeah, it's this, this isn't a, uh, a cardboard coyote in a, in a field situation to scare away the Canada geese, but something a little more, uh, lasting hopefully.

It's the version of a UFO.

That's exactly right.

The first one that came to mind for me was Canada goose in parks.

Yeah.

Though I have no particular ill will towards Canada geese.

I do note among my fellow humans in urban environments the frustration that can occur when a flock of Canada geese decides that they're just going to cross a busy road right in the middle of maybe the heaviest period of traffic.

So this is maybe a little bit off topic, but I've heard stories before.

Tell me about the Canada goose situation on the farm and your granddad's relationship with the geese in general and especially the Canada's.

Yeah.

Well, so I'll back up real quick because I mentioned the dead timber.

So Milo and millet were some of those cover crops.

So even in the mid to late eighties, we were pretty growing a good number of acres of millet and Milo and hunting over that and trying to use that set aside program and, you know, I don't know, improve their farming practice all while providing habitat as well.

Yeah, so okay, so on to the Canada geese.

Man, I don't know why it became an obsession of his, but it did.

This was a special treat for me because Charles usually likes to keep moving, but he was so tired that day, so we stopped, dropped our packs, and laid down under the redwoods.

We heard and then saw actual flocks of wood ducks gliding by, like small, gorgeous oil paintings floating on the water, and some pied-bill grebes, and then a small group of Canada geese floating over to the edge quietly, not seeing us through the reeds, yanking up the delicious grasses they were snacking on with these quiet goose murmurs, whispering to each other.

We just lay there and felt the light shimmering off the lake, reflecting onto the redwoods with a dappled glow and the late afternoon sun, which had been glowing over us about 15 minutes ago, starting to dip toward the hills and cast these golden columns onto the water and where we lay.

We pulled up our hoods for warmth, with that slight chill in the air, resting in the watery light.

It is beautiful out, sunny skies and 51 degrees.

More and more Canada geese are here in New England these days and they're not leaving.

They're known for their majestic beauty, and

if you have a lot of Canada geese in your neighborhood, you know they're also famous for, well, let's just say what they leave behind.

And when you get on the waterfront, you're dodging poop.

Mike lives in Plymouth.

He's not the only one who's not necessarily happy that Canada geese are now year-round residents.

They need to do something because it gets...

There's nothing to be accomplished By these splashing citizens From the moon down to the sky The distant lights of your firmament It's your firmament, baby By the time the sharks finish the Irish And them people from Berlin I'm scamming.

Yeah, the Canada geese held a meeting In the middle of a cornfield And yeah, it's decided we meet in small bees Yeah Talking to their cars, talking to themselves, yeah, and talking to the stars.

It plays it for like seven seconds and of course those seven seconds make it in.

What the fuck? I am cursed.

Yeah.

Actual lyrics from his solo album songs from Coke Machine Glow, if I'm not mistaken.

Yeah, it was Canada Geese that he was going hard on at the end there.

um

Here's what's happening on this Monday morning.

Canada geese are year-round residents at Alameda's Crown Beach, but state health officials are advising visitors to avoid them after two tested positive for bird flu this month.

Let's go live to Alameda.

KCBS's Holly Kwan is there.

Holly?

Yes, Steve, Crab Cove is on the end of Crown Beach, known for its curious ground squirrels and swarms of Canada geese.

Now, two of them have tested positive to bird flu this month, prompting a warning to stay away from the geese and their droppings.

The problem is there's so many of them here, the pathway is speckled with droppings and the geese often take over picnic areas.