FresYes!

The people, the places and the lifestyle of Fresno and Clovis!

You are here: Home / Fresno / Seriously, what’s up with all these geese?

Seriously, what’s up with all these geese?

by 2 Comments

 

If you live near a park or ponding basin, you’ve seen them.

Geese. Dozens and dozens of large, black-headed geese gathered together in flocks, looking like menacing avian armies.

For years, I’d seen these giant birds around Fresno, most notably at Woodward and Roeding parks, but it wasn’t until I moved to northwest Fresno that I really become aware of them.

I’d hear them coming long before I saw them, their distinctive honking signaling their impending arrival. And I saw the evidence of them—usually splattered across my car windshield or against the side of the house.

“Seriously, what’s up with all these geese?” I’d wonder.

They didn’t bother me. I like birds. National Geographic declared 2018 the “Year of the Bird” and after driving by countless elementary schools and parks and seeing waves of geese covering the grounds, I tend to agree.

But I still wanted to know why there were so many of these large birds flying over my house all day. Where do they come from and where are they going? So I contacted the Fresno Audubon Society for some answers.

all these geese
Cars pass by along Alluvial Ave. as a flock of geese do geese things

Fresno Audubon provides the goods on geese 

Robert Snow is the president of Fresno Audubon Society, and a board member of California Audubon, which is part of the National Audubon Society. Audubon is unique in having hundreds of independent 501c3 chapters separate from the National Audubon Society—the Fresno chapter has about 350 members. 

Dr. Snow joined the Fresno Audubon Society after his retirement in 2011. He has a PhD in Zoology, and has been interested in birds since receiving a copy of John Audubon’s Birds of America as a child. If anyone could tell me about the gads of geese, it’s him.
 
First of all, what kind of goose is this?
 
The geese are Canada Geese. This species used to regularly overwinter in our area, then return north to the Arctic to breed. Over the years, however, they developed a taste for living around people. Now they breed locally and populate ponding basins and golf courses or wherever they can find grass to eat.
 
Where are they going?
 
They fly between local [grassy] areas in large flocks in a distinctive V-pattern, a type of flight that keeps geese together over their usually long migrations.
 
And the honking? What’s up with that?
 
The honking is thought to be a means of communicating that helps them fly in the V-formation. That formation is very efficient, meaning it uses less energy. If the V breaks down, they need to work harder to fly.
…
 
all these geese
Just a typical goose-y day at Railroad Park
Although we see the Canada Goose year-round here in the Central Valley, you’ll probably see a bunch more of them now that it’s nearing winter. Fun fact: according to the Audubon field guide, the birds may mate for life, and both parents tend to the young. 
 
The geese are definitely a sight to behold, especially in that V-formation. Next time you’re near a park, especially in the evening, keep an ear out for their distinctive honk and you just may catch them flying overhead. (Seriously, though, try not to get directly under them. I speak from experience.)
FresYes Writing Team
Latest posts by FresYes Writing Team (see all)

Comments

  1. Sonny says

    So what I gather, most of these geese in flying and grazing in Fresno-Clovis vicinity have become permanently local to our area with only a few more to join them during winter months. Do any of these still migrate to/from any other area or have they called Central Valley/Fresno County their permanent home forever?

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *