04/18/2026
DOES THIS GOOSE NEED HELP???
NO!
Thousands are nesting in parking lots throughout the area in April, May, and June. Well-meaning people may see a goose sitting on the ground and assume it must be sick or injured but it may just be nesting.
Geese and ducks regularly make their nests in parking lots, courtyards, and rooftops. These locations are not particularly safe because they and their young can be injured or killed, but their instincts drive them to nest in open areas where they can see approaching threats.
CAN THIS GOOSE/NEST BE MOVED???
NO!
Once eggs are laid, it is illegal to handle the nest/eggs.
Additionally, if the nest/eggs are moved, the mother will not follow to a new location.
SHOULD WE FEED THEM???
NO!
Leaving food for the nesting birds can attract predators such as raccoons or rats to the nest. Female geese prepare for incubation by fattening up beforehand. They may leave the nest to feed at times (while the male stands guard) but can go the entire incubation period without eating if necessary.
Feeding them bread, or other unnatural foods, can also cause irreversible problems with the goslings' bone and feather development (angel wing).
HOW DO WE STOP THEM FROM ATTACKING?
Sometimes geese become aggressive when they nest in a space frequented by humans. Particularly the male, who patrols the area and protects the female while she is sitting on the eggs and tending to the babies.
Fencing, or some other type of barrier around the nesting area can keep people a safe distance away and make the geese feel less threatened. Warning signs can help, too.
WHAT ABOUT AFTER THEY HATCH?
A few days after the babies hatch, the parents usually attempt to walk them to a nearby lake or pond. Unfortunately, in many of these cases, there may not be a pond nearby, or there are dangers on the way.
Geese nesting in parking lots are obviously at risk from cars and trucks.
It may be difficult or impossible for goslings hatched on a rooftop to get to the ground on their own. If the roof is under two stories, the goslings may survive a jump to the ground, but if they are trapped on the roof by high walls or too high to safely jump, they may need help.
CBCM provides guidance or assistance for dozens of these cases every year. However, with tens of thousands of nesting geese, this is often more than time, resources and volunteer availability can handle.
IS THERE ANY WAY TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING?
Again, once eggs are laid, it is illegal to disturb the nest in any way. The best solution is to prevent the geese from nesting there in the first place.
Draping safety/mesh netting temporarily over a planter or green space can prevent geese/ducks from nesting there.
Or fill a planter with decorative display items - sticks, pinwheels (see photo) which block any open spaces.
If they don't have room to sit, they don't have room to build a nest!
Geese are making choices to use spaces within our urban setting that we cannot control, and all we can do is try to keep them as safe as possible!
