How to Prevent Geese from Nesting on Commercial Properties

Apr 18, 2025

Geese can quickly turn a peaceful commercial property into a hazard zone. Their aggressive behavior, unsightly droppings, and damage to landscaping are more than just inconveniences — they create serious challenges for property owners and managers. To stop these issues before they escalate, it’s important to understand geese mating habits, nesting behaviors, and the proper methods for deterring them, including professional services like geese deterrents and egg removal. Here’s a closer look at how you can protect your property during nesting season.

Understanding Geese Mating and Nesting Behavior

Geese are highly territorial and protective of their nesting areas. Once they select a location, they often return to it year after year, bringing more geese along. Knowing why they choose certain areas helps you make your property less inviting in the first place.

How Geese Choose Nesting Sites

Geese prefer locations that are close to open water, have clear sightlines to spot perceived threats, and offer easy access to food sources like grass or agricultural crops. Landscaped commercial properties, industrial warehouses, parks, golf courses, sport stadiums and corporate campuses fit this description perfectly.

Flat, grassy areas near ponds or retention basins are especially attractive to geese. They look for places where they feel safe to raise their young, and they are surprisingly persistent. Once a pair settles in, it becomes much harder to remove them without professional help.

Aggressive Behavior During Nesting Season

During the spring, geese form breeding pairs and defend their chosen territory aggressively. This protective instinct leads to confrontational behavior with humans, including hissing, wing flapping, and even charging. Geese view pedestrians, maintenance workers, and visitors as threats, making daily operations around your property both uncomfortable and risky.

Understanding this cycle is key: geese are most aggressive after their eggs have been laid but before they hatch. This makes early deterrence efforts especially important.

Proactive Steps to Prevent Geese From Nesting

The best time to manage geese is before they settle in for the season. Preventative action reduces the likelihood of nesting and minimizes conflicts later on.

Wild Goose Chase provides a range of humane deterrent services such as:

• Trained goose-herding dogs that safely chase geese away from the property
• Hand-held laser servicing and automated laser installation that can deter geese 24/7
• Flight Control Pluss application to lawn areas to repel geese

These tools disrupt geese before they become attached to your site, making them look elsewhere for nesting grounds.

Regular inspections during early spring can spot the first signs of geese scouting your property. Our professional teams can conduct early intervention before nesting behaviors become established.

What to Do If Geese Have Already Nested

If geese have already laid eggs, the situation becomes more regulatorily complex and time sensitive. Geese are one of 99.75% of bird species in the United States that, like many migratory birds, are protected by the federal government, which makes it illegal to disturb active nests or remove eggs without proper government authorization, sometimes at multiple levels (e.g. Federal, State)

1. Understanding Egg Removal Regulations

The 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act is in place to protect native bird populations and maintain ecological balance. Violating the act can result in hefty fines and legal consequences, so it’s critical to follow the correct procedures when managing nests. Wild Goose Chase applies for required permit(s) on behalf of our clients to ensure our egg addling and removal services are compliant. We also report data back to the appropriate regulatory agencies on our clients’ behalf. Our experienced specialists will:

• Locate and identify active nests
• Safely treat or remove eggs according to regulatory guidelines
• Document the process for compliance
• Report the data back to appropriate regulatory agencies

Once goslings hatch, they will have a strong biological instinct to return to the same property for their own nesting activities. That is why egg addling is an incredibly important deterrent service to prevent geese from returning year over year.

2. Ongoing Deterrents

Even after nests are removed, geese may linger in the area, especially if the environment still feels welcoming. Continued use of deterrents — particularly trained dogs or laser devices — keeps geese from returning to re-nest. Maintaining a consistent deterrent program helps break the cycle of site loyalty geese develop over time. The goal is to make the property an unappealing habitat season after season, encouraging geese to relocate permanently.

Long-Term Goose Management Strategy

Managing geese is not a one-time effort. It requires a proactive, year-round approach to keep your commercial property free from nesting activity and aggressive encounters. Working with professionals like Wild Goose Chase gives you access to a full suite of services, including:

• Property assessments to identify high-risk areas
• Seasonal deterrent programs tailored to your property
• Egg removal performed under proper permits
• Documentation and reporting for regulatory compliance
• Habitat recommendations to discourage future nesting

By investing in ongoing support, property managers can maintain safe, welcoming spaces for employees, tenants, and visitors.

Prevent Geese From Nesting Before It Becomes a Bigger Problem

Geese nesting on commercial properties presents a complex challenge, but it’s not one you have to face alone. With an understanding of geese behavior, timely deterrent strategies, and professional egg removal services, you can protect your property and reduce risks associated with aggressive birds.

Wild Goose Chase specializes in helping property managers stay ahead of the problem, using humane and effective methods backed by regulatory compliance. Whether you’re looking to prevent nesting before it starts or manage an active situation, our team is equipped to help you keep your property clear and accessible year-round. Contact us today!