Vic Smith wrote:
On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 21:54:34 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:
Up at Union Steamship Marina on Bowen Island (Howe Sound, BC) they
keep a pet swan. Much classier bird than a dirty poop-pumping goose,
IMO. Also unlikely to attract freeloading room mates, unless you have
wild swans in your area.

A PO'd goose *can* be formidable, I've seen them flap and hiss a
medium size dog into submission. Don't know whether a swan would be as
aggressive or protective, but a swan adds a touch of class while a
goose adds a pile of poo.

Some corporate HQ's with extensive grounds around here have retention
ponds. Geese flocking there were becoming a problem. Attacking
employees, goose crap all over the place, etc.
They now have a company bring in a pair of nesting swans in the
spring, and remove them in the fall.
Goose problem solved. Greatly reduced anyway. The swans seem to
tolerate ducks.
I was at the Chicago Botanic Garden (it's actually in Glencoe, IL)
once and was surprised to see they had brought in a Border Collie and
owner to shag geese from a lagoon. Never got to talk to him as he was
across the lagoon - the owner, that is.
The dog seemed in his element, taking short swims to make his point to
any reluctant geese, then ranging ashore again.
One time I was canoeing on the Kankakee river with my wife and she
spotted a pair of swans. "Oh, steer over there so we can see the
pretty swans," she said. We got within 50 yards and one - the male I
assume - came steaming at us. His wake was bigger than our canoe's,
and he didn't look friendly.
"Paddle faster!! Paddle faster!!" I shouted at my wife as I steered
away.
I think he got to about 10 yards of our stern, but I was too busy
paddling to be sure of that. Whew.

--Vic




We have a lot of farms in our area, and many property owners with ponds.
The ponds attract geese and ducks and some property owners have swans.
All the critters seem to get along well enough. There's a ranchette
around the corner where the owners raise horses, ponies, and llamas.
When the crops on the fields around here are harvested, the geese move
in for a while. They're very pretty animals. We've had pheasant and wild
turkeys landing in our yard. Happily, most of the property owners around
here have banned hunters from their land.

Since we infringed on their territory, I'm glad to see some of the wild
critters making do. They're certainly better neighbors than some
ticky-tacky subdivision would be.