Skip navigation.

The Official Website of the Department of Fish and Game (DFG)

 
Wildlife Information

Goose Banding in Massachusetts

Anatomy of a Goose Round Up

Annually, during late June through July, MassWildlife biologists conduct goose "round-ups" wherever large flocks of resident Canada geese are found: cemeteries, parks, golf courses, beaches, and residential neighborhoods. The purpose of this activity is to capture Canada geese, place leg bands on them and record information from any captured birds that already have leg bands from previous years. This information is used to help waterfowl biologists estimate populations and other demographics. The birds are then released back on site. This year (2006), due to the new avian influenza surveillance program, biologists will also be taking fecal samples from the birds for testing.

At this time of year, most adult geese have moulted (shed) their flight feathers and are unable to fly. Adult geese and their goslings (young geese) congregate on water bodies for protection and graze on grasses and other young green growth within walking distance of water. This is a window of opportunity for biologists to capture the birds, band them and then release them. To capture the birds, biologists set up a temporary "goose weir" consisting of a long net hung on poles pounded into the ground. Meanwhile, other staff will try to get geese flocked together and when the fencing is complete, herd them towards the "wier". Sometimes this entails several people in canoes that move the whole flock up on to the grass near the weir. Personnel stationed on the ground clap, wave a paddle and assist in herding the birds into the weir. Once the flock is safely within the weir, the net is closed and the birds are confined. Most of the time, all goes well, but there are times when the geese manage to avoid the staff and get away.

Once confined, the biologists takes a bird from the flock, determines the bird's age and gender, then places a leg band on the bird. Another technician records the information for data entry. The technique used for avian influenza surveillance involves swabbing the bird's cloaca (common chamber for reproduction and waste elimination) for a fecal sample. After this procedure is completed, the bird is released. The goose returns immediately to the water to gather with the rest of the flock. Fecal samples are being taken from a limited number of birds across the state and will be tested at USDA approved lab at the University of Connecticut in Storrs.