Geese are beautiful creatures, and watching them fly in their V-shaped formations can be quite the sight. However, if you have a pond in your backyard, you may have noticed that geese can be a real nuisance. Their droppings can quickly contaminate your pond, making it difficult, if not impossible, to swim in.
How do you keep geese away from your pond (so you can have clean water for swimming)?
There are several things you can try, including reflective tape, fences around the pond edge, motion activated sprinklers, sound cannons (bird scarer cannons), fountains, and more. It may not be easy, but it is doable and a pond with water not contaminated by bird droppings will be well worth the effort. Keep reading to find out more.
- Natural Changes To Make It Less Appealing (Passive)
- Human Intervention Ideas (Aggressive)
- Go To War!! (You’ve Had ENOUGH!)
- Final Thoughts
Natural Changes You Can Make
Make Your Pond Less Attractive to Geese
The first step in keeping geese away from your pond is to simply make the area less attractive to them.
What do geese like? Geese are attracted to areas that have plenty of food and water, as well as shelter. So, it’s important to remove any potential food sources, such as grass clippings, weeds, and seeds, from the area around your pond. (This will also make your pond less attractive to rats, by the way… THAT is a problem no one wants.)
You could also consider adding a fence or other physical barrier around your pond to make it less accessible to geese.
Use Repellent To Keep Geese Away From Your Pond
There are a variety of repellents available that can help to keep geese away from your pond. These products are typically made from natural ingredients and yes, they are safe for the environment.
Repellents work by emitting an unpleasant odor or taste that geese find unappealing. You can spray the repellent around the perimeter of your pond or directly onto the grass around your pond. Make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully and reapply the repellent as needed.
Let Your Dog Run Free (And Scare Them Off)
Dogs barking is something geese really don’t like, so why not allow your dog free reign for a while to chase and bark after any landing geese? Interestingly enough, professionals will often bring in dogs trained to do exactly this. So if you have a dog, this might be a simple solution.
See Related: Can Dogs Drink Pond Water?
Human Intervention: Things You Can Set Up Or Try
Use a Motion-Activated Sprinkler
Another effective way to keep geese away from your pond is to use a motion-activated sprinkler. These devices are designed to spray a burst of water whenever they detect motion, such as a goose approaching your pond. This can startle the geese and make them think twice about returning to your pond.
Install a Decoy Goose... or Two
Geese are social creatures and tend to stay in groups. If you install a realistic decoy goose or two near your pond, it can help to deter live geese groups from landing as it seems your pond is already taken by another group of geese. They don’t like to risk competing for resources or encountering aggressive behavior from other geese. Place it in a prominent location near the water’s edge, and definitely move it around often to make it seem more realistic.
Use Reflective Tape or Scare Balloons
Geese are easily scared by reflective objects or moving objects. You can use reflective tape or scare balloons to keep geese away from your pond. These objects can be hung near your pond, and the reflective bird scaring tape can be attached to nearby trees or other structures. The movement of the tape or balloons can help to deter geese from coming too close to your pond.
Install A Water Fountain In Your Pond
Installing a fountain may not exactly be the most economical method of preventing geese from landing in your pond, but it is known to work very well!
Geese are attracted to ponds and lakes because they provide them with a place to swim, food, and a nesting site. However, geese prefer calm, still water for landing and taking off. The movement and noise created by a fountain can make the pond less attractive to geese, as it creates a disturbance in the water that they may find uncomfortable or frightening.
Furthermore, the splashing water of the fountain can create a more reflective surface, which can make it more difficult for geese to see potential predators in the water, making them feel more vulnerable and less likely to land in the pond.
Go To War!! (You Have HAD ENOUGH!)
Go For Loud Noises
Geese are easily scared by loud noises. You can use this to your advantage by making loud noises near your pond whenever geese are present. You can use a whistle, a horn, a propane scare cannon or any other loud object to scare the geese away. Over time, the geese will begin to associate your pond with loud noises and will avoid it altogether.
Zon Mark 4 Propane Bird Scarer Cannon
Propane bird scarer cannons are commonly used to deter birds from agricultural fields, orchards, vineyards, and other areas where birds can cause damage to crops – but they can also be used to keep birds – including geese – away from your pond.
The Zon Mark 4 is one of the most popular propane bird scarer cannons on the market and is worth looking into. Here are some of the benefits of using a propane bird scarer cannon like the Zon Mark 4:
- Effective bird control: Propane cannons produce loud, explosive sounds that scare geese away from the area.
- Easy to use: Propane cannons are simple to set up and use. Once installed, you can set the cannon to fire at regular intervals or use a remote control to trigger it manually when you see “a goose on the loose” near your pond.
- Affordable: Compared to other bird control methods like hiring a professional, propane cannons are relatively inexpensive. They require minimal maintenance and use propane gas, which is widely available and cost-effective.
- Safe for birds: Propane cannons do no actual harm to the geese. They simply scare them away from the area.
- Environmentally friendly: Propane cannons do not use any chemicals or pesticides, making them an environmentally friendly bird control option.
Overall, if you’re sick and tired of dealing with geese poop contaminated water in your pond, a propane bird scarer cannon such as the Zon Mark 4 could be an effective and affordable solution.
Hire a Professional
If you have tried all of the above methods and still have a persistent geese problem, you may want to consider hiring a professional. There are many companies that specialize in geese control and can help you keep your pond free from geese. These professionals may use methods such as trained dogs, netting, or other more advanced techniques to keep geese away.
Final Thoughts
To wrap things up, there are plenty of ways to keep pesky geese from taking over your pond and ruining your swim time. Whether you want to take a laid-back approach or go all-in with aggressive tactics, there’s a solution for every preference and budget. Just keep in mind that it might take some trial and error to find the right combination of methods that work for you, and always be mindful of the impact on other critters in the area. With a little effort and determination, you can finally reclaim your pond and enjoy some clean, refreshing water.
