“ BIRDIES , BIRDIES , BIRDIES !”
That ’ s what golfers hope for at the start of each round , but it ’ s also the verbal cue for at least one border collie by her Virginia handler as she begins her workday clearing Canada geese from golf courses .
Bill Edwards , the Northern Virginia franchise owner for Geese Chasers , arrives early at sites filled with honking geese and tells his dog , Anna- Liz , that it ’ s time to clear the course of the grasseating waterfowl .
Once hearing that three-word command , the border collie springs into action and herds the geese out of the area — never touching or biting the birds — instead , moving them skyward and off the grounds .
“ Anna-Liz is a herding dog and it ’ s her instinct to move animals around from one point to another ,” said Edwards , 34 , of Fredericksburg . “ Using intelligent , well-trained dogs is really the safest , most humane way to get rid of bothersome geese on properties .”
A Messy Situation
According to the Virginia Cooperative Extension office , Canada geese are grazers and often forage in large groups . Those groups of mature birds , weighing between 12-14 pounds each , “ can inflict serious physical and economic damage to agricultural crops , residential lawns , golf courses , and ornamental plants and gardens ,” the office says on its website .
In one study by the U . S . Department of Agriculture , three golf courses in Greater Cleveland reported between $ 2,000 to $ 3,000 in Canada goose damage per year . One course estimated spending $ 1,000 a year just to clean up goose droppings .
Virginia ’ s Extension office website cites that a “ well-fed , healthy adult Canada goose can produce up to 1.5 pounds of fecal matter per day .” On properties with flocks of 100 or more birds , the goose deposits can become messy , unhealthy to humans and can even affect water quality in smaller ponds .
Geese populations may multiply in desirable areas during the winter migratory season , but the Extension office points out that Virginia ’ s resident goose population has seen “ near exponential growth ” in recent years , with geese opting to stay year-round in adopted habitats . Once they are
Bill Edwards and his business partner Anna-Liz .
successful in nesting , the lifelong bonded pair will return to the same site to nest each year if given the opportunity .
Golf courses , residential communities and farms have used a variety of methods over the years to shoo away geese , including lowering lake water levels , using physical barriers , propane cannon blasts on timers , whistlers and fireworks , pre-recorded tapes of Canada geese distress calls , strobe lights , scarecrows , rubber snakes and even radio-controlled model aircraft .
Whatever methods are utilized must be executed in such a way to not physically harm the birds , many of which are protected by federal law . Trained border collies tactically move the birds around and frustrate them until they eventually leave a property . That approach has won the approval of the National Humane Society , PETA and the ASPCA .
“ We flush away the geese with behavior modification ,” said Edwards . “ Through repetition , the geese learn that everywhere on the golf course , there is potential to have an encounter with my border collie — serving as a mimic of their natural predator , the Arctic Fox . We show up at different times of the day with multiple daily visits and modify their behavior with persistence .”
New Business Partners
Edwards got into the goose-chasing business last year as he was transitioning from active duty as a U . S . Army Captain to the civilian world after 12 years of military service . He enrolled in an entrepreneur course for soldiers and decided he wanted to get his own Virginia franchise in the national Geese Chasers organization , based in New Jersey .
vsga . org M ARCH / A PRIL 2022 | V IRGINIA G OLFER 27