Even though our weather is trying to decide if it’s spring, we know for sure it is when Canada geese return to Anchorage. Their overhead honking is a dead giveaway. Now is a good time to reflect on some important ways to keep them healthy, so they can head back south in the fall.
Geese are grazers, which is why they love to hang out on all the nicely kept green grass fields in town. Primarily herbivores, grass and plants suit them just fine. They do not need anything else — especially processed foods that we humans like. Most everyone has grown up tossing bread to ducks and geese. Although this is a fun childhood pastime, it is not healthy for waterfowl. In fact, in can even cause them to develop poorly so that they can’t fly. A condition known as “angel wing” affects their wing structure dramatically, and unfortunately we have been seeing it all too often in geese at Cuddy Pond.
Another problem is that they can become dependent on being fed by humans. Large flocks of ducks are now overwintering at Cuddy Park, which causes excessive amounts of bird poop and crowding in open water areas. The ducks hang around (often in the parking lot) waiting for their next handout from folks with good intentions, but this is not really in their best interest.
It may look like they are starving and unable to fend for themselves, but that’s just a trick they use to make us feel sorry for them. Ducks should migrate to other areas — south to Washington, Oregon, Idaho or California — or, if they aren’t so inclined, they can overwinter in Kachemak Bay and Prince William Sound. They managed to survive over winters for millennia, but humans are now interfering with that.
The message is not to feed them anything, at any time. When they stay here, congregating in small open areas of water, it’s not healthy. They can easily spread avian diseases because of the tight quarters, and, like all animals, they poop a lot, which fouls (“fowls”) the water. Tests for fecal coliform bacteria show there are high amounts of bacteria that have the potential to make humans and their pets sick.
Please don’t feed them, and ask others not to do so. It’s best for them, our waterways and ourselves.
—Cherie Northon
Anchorage Waterways Council
Anchorage
Have something on your mind? Send to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Letters under 200 words have the best chance of being published. Writers should disclose any personal or professional connections with the subjects of their letters. Letters are edited for accuracy, clarity and length.