311 complaint of the day: Time for some No Goose Hugging signs in the Fens

By adamg on Wed, 09/25/2024 - 12:55pm

A concerned resident filed a 311 complaint about a woman who is apparently not just feeding but hugging geese in the Fenway:

Person feeding and hugging waterfowl. This is in the Fens, right between Roberto Clemente field and the river - next to the football teams sleds. This happens daily. Habituating geese to humans increases their aggression, makes them reliant on humans for food, and congregates these protected animals to high density urban areas

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Comments

Free hugs.

By Lee on Wed, 09/25/2024 - 1:07pm.

I’d goose her if I was a goose.

this has been bothering me for a long time

By anon on Wed, 09/25/2024 - 1:48pm.

Everyone on the Internet feels the need to make a website explaining that the verb "to goose" means a person poking another person in the butt. But does that word exist because geese like to poke people in the butt?

My guess

By Bob Leponge on Wed, 09/25/2024 - 8:05pm.

My guess is that geese rise up dramatically with a lot of squawking and flapping of wings when startled, so the term suggests provoking a similar reaction in a person. But one also sees reference to “goosing the throttle” meaning to apply a sudden burst of engine power on a boat, motorcycle, etc.

Hugs

By Friartuck on Wed, 09/25/2024 - 2:03pm.

Not bombs

Nothing new here...

By eddie van halen on Wed, 09/25/2024 - 2:39pm.

This is why they have been hanging around everywhere. People think the geese "need" their food. You rarely saw them 20 plus years ago. These nasty foul have ruined the lawns and parks around Fenway (and other areas) by eating all the grass and defecating all over the place. Invasive species.

Lawn and Humans

By blues_lead on Wed, 09/25/2024 - 2:51pm.

Humans and lawn are the invasive species. Canada geese are very much native.

Actually...

By eddie van halen on Wed, 09/25/2024 - 3:24pm.

They're not native to Boston, and they don't "need" you.

Uhhhh?

By blues_lead on Wed, 09/25/2024 - 4:04pm.

In what way are Canada geese not native? And why in the world would I think they need me for anything?

You're just making wild claims here, my dude

Seriously?

By eddie van halen on Wed, 09/25/2024 - 4:10pm.

Nobody said they aren't a native NA species. They're not native to Boston. If you've lived in Boston over the last 30 years you would know they were never nesting here before roughly 20 years ago. In past years most would fly right over us during their seasonal southerly commutes. In fact, at one time nearly extinct.

20 years? Time to get you to bed, grandpa

By brianjdamico on Wed, 09/25/2024 - 4:18pm.

Canada geese have passed through Massachusetts on their journeys to and from their arctic breeding grounds for centuries. Prior to the 1930s, it was unusual for geese to nest here, yet today in Massachusetts you can find Canada geese any time of the year.

So they've been nesting in the area for nearly 100 years. That's just a bit longer than your 20.

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/learn-about-canada-geese

The area?

By eddie van halen on Wed, 09/25/2024 - 4:27pm.

Nesting spots in *Massachusetts* since the 30's isn't native and it's not Boston. Topic here is Boston. Try to follow along. Perhaps you need to go back to my original post to refresh yourself? Ageist insults say more about you and your own insecurities than me. People feeding them is why they are here. In other places they have been introduced by people. Arrogant little people who screw with nature by feeding wildlife and moving them around for their own pleasure. Sound familiar?

https://ssisc.ca/are-canada-geese-invasive/

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/canada-goose-resident-vs-migratory/

You seem far more invested in this than I

By brianjdamico on Wed, 09/25/2024 - 4:50pm.

I was merely responding to your claim that this species has only been nesting here for around 20 years, when it is closer to 100. I cannot quickly find an agreed upon definition of "native" when it comes to migratory birds who have an established migratory range through an area.

Perhaps my choice of referencing a common meme to lead my comment was not my best decision today.

But one thing I won't be doing is advocating for the public to be feeding wild waterfowl, especially when the usual food of choice is extremely harmful to the nutrition of these animals.

I'm sorry you blew into Boston...

By eddie van halen on Wed, 09/25/2024 - 4:54pm.

Three months ago and are clearly not native. Merely responding with ageist insults was about a common meme? You're funny. Seems you're more invested in insecurity.

The Commonwealth of Mass blurb speaks to Massachusetts, not Boston. Most of us knew they had some nesting spots in parts of MA and New England. This isn't a blog for the Blackstone Valley or N. Adams, it's about Boston. No, they have not had any significant presence in the city for anywhere near 100 years.

I don't apologize for knowing more about what's been happening here (in Boston) than you clearly do. Do you even know how to get to the Fenway?

Huh?

By brianjdamico on Wed, 09/25/2024 - 5:48pm.

You win. I guess you needed to win a fight today, so this one is all yours.

I guess you needed to pick one...

By eddie van halen on Wed, 09/25/2024 - 6:33pm.

I made a comment, you picked a fight. Only you know why.

Hm

By lbb on Thu, 09/26/2024 - 10:02am.

What I've observed is that Canada geese are pretty happy anywhere there's water, and ideally, grass or grass-like substance. I have seen plenty of migrating geese making stopovers by rivers, ponds, lakes, and adjacent lawns, pastures, meadows, hayfields, etc. Within certain rather broad limits, they're pretty adaptable. So I think it would be a lot more shocking if they weren't in Boston, which has plenty of water and plenty of lawn, and I doubt it's really that new.

They are non-migratory now

By eddie van halen on Thu, 09/26/2024 - 10:35am.

And it is relatively new. But that depends on how new the viewer is to living in this town. Canada geese may be happy near water but that doesn't mean they are native to everyplace that has it.

Some are

By lbb on Thu, 09/26/2024 - 4:27pm.

They are non-migratory now

Some are, and some are not. And they can be a nuisance, but what they are not is invasive.

Spoken like a user who doesn

By Don't Panic on Fri, 09/27/2024 - 1:07am.

Spoken like a user who doesn't have to deal with slimy goose turds on his pathways or in his parking lot.

I don't mind the geese who are just passing through but the ones who have made Boston their go to destination for raising their hatchlings every year are invasive. Why did they stop going to Canada?

Most are now non-migratory.

By eddie van halen on Fri, 09/27/2024 - 7:16am.

The ones hanging around the city most certainly are. Canada geese are non-native and affect the local ecosystem as well as pose a health hazard to humans via their feces. They are aggressive and can harm children. They can pose dangers to aircraft and water supplies. Just a short list.
-

What Defines an Invasive Species?

As per Executive Order 13112 (Section 1. Definitions) an "invasive species" is a species that is:

1) non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and,

2) whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.

Non-native species are plants and animals living in areas where they do not naturally exist. "Non-native species" and "invasive species" can not be used interchangeably. Many commonly grown fruits and vegetables are not native to the U.S. For example, tomatoes and hot peppers originated from South America, while lettuce was first grown by the Egyptians. Domestic cows are non-native to North America and were introduced as a food source, and considered to be a beneficial organism in an agricultural setting." Source -USDA

Okay Humpty Dumpty

By lbb on Fri, 09/27/2024 - 9:49am.

Canada geese don't fit the definition you cite, but you do you.

Examples were provided

By eddie van halen on Fri, 09/27/2024 - 10:14am.

I will admit that whether they are invasive or not can be debatable, but I think there's plenty of evidence to support that characterization - and so do many experts. You've provided none that would suggest they are not. Simply declaring that they are not invasive and that they are native to Boston doesn't make it true. They are not native and that's not debatable, but I understand it's more important to you to be able to virtue signal about the geese (and probably feed them).

Bruh

By blues_lead on Wed, 09/25/2024 - 5:12pm.

You're gonna need better evidence than "I didn't used to see them 30 years ago!" Especially when, as you say, they used to be rare in general.

Evidence for what?

By eddie van halen on Wed, 09/25/2024 - 6:30pm.

Never said I didn't see them, but nice straw man. Also never said they were "rare in general" other than to say you rarely saw them here. Not sure how its relevant to the fact that prior to around the mid 90's to early 2000's the geese were not part of the Boston landscape in any significant way.

Anyone who was here knows firsthand that the geese weren't nesting here, weren't tearing up the green space and weren't $hitting all over the parks. Anyone who was here when it began to become problematic knows that it was a topic of discussion in Boston, and likely on this very blog. That's all the evidence I need. It's not my problem that you weren't here. I'm satisfied with my lived experience here and you're welcome to look for other forms of evidence to compensate for what you lack. The burden for supporting your "wild claim" that the non-migratory Canada Geese are "native" to Boston is on you.

Make Way for Ducklings!

By necturus on Thu, 09/26/2024 - 6:52am.

You know what? Mallards aren't native to Boston, either, if by "native" we mean present in the wild as a breeding population. When my father was in college in the 1940s, he never saw mallards in the Public Garden, but black ducks. Since then, mallards, like Canada geese, have expanded their range and black ducks have retreated.

Other birds that have expanded their range include the mockingbird, the blue heron, and, of course, the wild turkey.

As conditions change, birds, having the capability of flight, are among the first animals to take advantage of new opportunities.

No comparison

By eddie van halen on Fri, 09/27/2024 - 8:09am.

between impact of Mallards and impact of CG.

numerous, even a pest. but not an invasive species

By Vicki on Wed, 09/25/2024 - 4:46pm.

The good news is that because geese are legally protected (despite the existence of a hunting season), interfering with geese, including by hugging them, is illegal. Also, if the goose-hugger is still approaching geese next spring, she may discover how hard an angry goose can hit someone when its nest or chicks are nearby.

While native to this part of North America, Canada geese are more of a problem for humans than some invasive species, because geese, unlike rats, can be sucked into jet engines. That's why a passenger airplane had to land on the Hudson River a dozen years ago. If you google "miracle on the Hudson" it should lead to the accident investigation--and unlike a lot of the accidents the NTSB investigates, nobody (except the goose) died.