Wild canadian goose habitat question...need help

[NanaKat]

I need help to help a pair of Canadian geese that have raised their young on our ranch every year.

Here is the problem.
Each spring, the pair fondly named Lucy and Goosey, have made their nest on someone else's unused property across the highway from us.
They then bring the young goslings across the highway to our 240 acres and frequent our many ponds after the cows are taken to leases.

This year the land sold and the buyer has spent many months with a bulldozer and brushhog to clear the property surrounding the pond.
Lucy and Goosey now have no place to have their nest.

We have many ponds and many cattle until May.

Lucy and Goosey come to the ranch house every morning and evening for their little portion of scratch grain and seem interested in staying close this year.
Then they spend the days waddling to the many rye and fescue patches all around the ranch.

NOW...what kind of habitat should I try to offer them? What kind of habitat will attract them?
How close to a pond will they need to build their nest?
There is one 40 acre section that has no baby calves to harrass them. There is one patch of blackberry bushes near the pond that we will leave.

Hubby is willing to move some hay bales to offer a protection for them is they will nest between or under them.

ANY suggestions and information anyone can share will be appreciated.

Lucy is looking awfully heavy now....so I'm going to have to act quickly.

 

[CityChicker]

Really, to be honest, I wouldn't give it a second thought. They will nest wherever they see fit, which can be anywhere and everywhere. Especially dealing with a large parcel of land, it is doubtful they would nest where you want them to. Canada Geese are very adaptable. They will nest anywhere. I live in an area that is completely overrun with them and sometimes they will even nest in planters in major parking lots! The Wal-Mart near our home has had them nest right outside the front door on a few occasions. Anyway, YMMV, but it sounds like they have already decided that they are "home". Once they do, it is hard to get them to go. Ours here have got to the point that some days they are all over the road and front yard. They don't even budge when I walk through them to get the mail or when we have to drive the car around them and we have done nothing to encourage them staying like feeding them.

 

[marathonmultiplesmom]

my geese seem to like tall grass. if you have some they will likely find it. It provides nesting material and cover

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
this is just based on my observations of Canadas over the years, they usually nest within 40 feet of water, it doesn't have to be big or deep but should not dry up during the 2 months that they will be setting and raising goslings. access to the water should be easy for the goslings. First time parents sometimes make the mistake of not having easy access but the strain of lifting goslings in and out of water assures that they don't make the same mistake the second time. food sources should also be in easy reach and be something that geese like to eat, water plants or dry land plants don't seem to make much difference. they like the edge growth that will give them some concealment but so they can see things that might be approaching. generally they don't want a lot of traffic near the nest. young caves maybe harmless but they can step on nests or birds. Our area(NC) has more flying preditors than most so they like to have sky coverage plus the sun can get brutal and shade during the heat of the day helps.
On my old place I had a small stream that I had fenced off so the live stock could not get to it. I planted a few rose bushes along the stream and the space became very popular as a nesting place for Canadas so I put in more rose bushes spaced out between the stream and the fence. you wouldn't notice at a glance but most of those bushes had a nest under it. there was good clover graze in the pasture and the stream was slow moving and had lots of water plants most of which the geese would clean out during the summer. I hope this is of some help to you.

 

[BlackBart]

Where I live, they nest anywhere there is water.
Three pairs nest every year in a local gravel pit, looks like a moon scape but there is a small stream and some bush. Every year they raise four or five goslings per pair.

 

[NanaKat]

Thank you for your responses.

Lucy and Goosey appear to have selected a nesting site. The pair has not strayed more than 100 yards from the pasture gate.
They are either under the round hay bales in an enclosed pen or are on the edge of our crawdad pond. If they are in the bales, they are protected from the calves. The pond is actually a little runoff pond we have that always has crawdads, water periwinkle, cattails, reed grass and some other leafy water plant. At the most, it is probably 20 inches deep and 50 feet in diameter. There is no protection like bushes around this pond. This pond is close to the gate where I leave their seed scratch mix and has lots of rye and fescue.

This pasture has our first-time heifer moms and babies.....so hopefully Lucy and Goosey have settled under those bales.
Just in case, we are going to make a lean-to out of plywood and secure it with stakes on the bank so the calves can't mess with it. This will offer a little shade if nothing else.

Over the past five years, the pair has brought between 4 and 6 goslings to our fields to graze. None of the babies have ever stayed in the area.

The geese are wild, but will allow me to get within 10 feet before hissing at me.
Hopefully, I can locate the nesting area so hubby will leave those bales until after the hatch.