West Seattle scene: Caution, Canada geese crossing

| West Seattle news | Wildlife

West Seattle photographer (among other things) Robin Lindsey caught the famous pedestrian geese on camera – along with the drivers who stopped for them. She notes, “Of late, the geese and their goslings have decided the grass is sometimes greener on the other side of Harbor Avenue. This poses a major danger to them as they try to cross back and forth from the water side as traffic speeds by. Please drive slowly along the stretch of Harbor from the curve just south of Salty’s to Fairmount and give the geese families the right of way – give ’em a ‘brake’! And thanks to all the drivers who have been so patient and have enjoyed this spectacular sight.”

coffee May 6, 2011 (10:46 pm)

That is a wonderful picture!

enviromaven May 6, 2011 (11:25 pm)

Adorable….West Seattle at its best!

David & Eilene Hutchinson May 6, 2011 (11:40 pm)

Thank you for sharing this great photo. It really is special to live where there is so much wildlife to observe, even if it can at times be a bit inconvenient.

Norma Berube-Adler May 7, 2011 (9:22 am)

What a truly heartwarming pic.

Shellwestseattle May 7, 2011 (10:03 am)

Great pic! Thanks for sharing!

K May 7, 2011 (10:52 am)

I thought that we were trying to get rid of all the Canadian Geese? I don’t see any reason to stop for them unless it is illegal to run them over. I myself find it easier to keep going because I don’t want to end up getting hit by someone that doesn’t stop or swerves in my direction.

WSB May 7, 2011 (11:07 am)

No, we’re not trying to get rid of them. There have been efforts to reduce the population but not exterminate them all. And yes, it would be animal cruelty to deliberately run over any kind of living creature. A couple of these alerts have noted, if you just generally go slower than usual in the Salty’s area this time of year, it would be good … then it’s not so dramatic if you have to brake because they suddenly start crossing the street.

lucky chick May 7, 2011 (11:17 am)

I know you’re just a troll, but that doesn’t mean you get a pass from the accuracy police. CANADA geese, not [cringe] “Canadian.”

Now, go back to playing with your Star Wars action figures in your mother’s basement.

MindDriver May 7, 2011 (12:08 pm)

I’m not a big fan of Canadian Geese either (a commonly used name for them that may or may not be accurate.) I don’t agree with running them over, much less exterminating them. But left unchecked they can get very territorial and aggressive. I’ve seen more than one park rendered unusable by those geese taking over.

Yes this is cute, but we need to keep an eye on them.

NotMe May 7, 2011 (12:23 pm)

As a crusty old, liberal yet-sometimes-conservative geezer… I LOVE this picture and all that it means. If I ever see anyone trying to harm an animal (or another human being) in anyway, God help you. Oh, and by the way… I hate bullies.

datamuse May 7, 2011 (12:34 pm)

Pretty much all geese are aggressive. There were a couple in Ireland that charged our car. (Swans are aggressive, too, and even more dangerous because they’re huge.)

They make great watch animals, apparently. Maybe we could adopt some Canada geese for the purpose? Imagine geese driving off a would-be burglar… :D

duh May 7, 2011 (1:37 pm)

Nope, “Canadian” is wrong, inaccurate, not-right-ever-no-never, no matter how “commonly used” it is. Repetition of the wrong word doesn’t make you right, just dumber.

Tough guy, threatening to run over a bunch of goslings. I’m so impressed.

lucky chick May 7, 2011 (1:57 pm)

You can almost always count on people to behave humanely towards animals in these situations. Things like this just bring out the best in people. Thanks for the great and cheerful photo!

Barb Wuerth May 7, 2011 (2:18 pm)

It is a good idea to slow down on Alki Ave period this time of year. Lots more to hit besides these adorable goslings. Cruising not racing is the “Alki Way”

David Hutchinson May 7, 2011 (3:35 pm)

Just a couple comments. I am very familiar with these particular geese having observed and photographed them along Harbor Avenue for a number of years.
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Aggressiveness – If you approach their goslings and they are not familiar with you, they will “hiss” as a warning to stay back. If they are particularly frightened, they might spread their wings in a effort to shield their young and look more intimidating. I imagine that any of us would also take protective measures if we and our young children were approached by something 2-3 times our height and we were not sure what its intentions were. Once they become used to your presences, they will often graze around your feet as long as you are quiet and don’t make any unexpected, dramatic movements.
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Their main fear is dogs, on or off leash. If they see one, even at a distance, they will alert the others and move toward the edge of the water. If the dog gets too close or is too energetic, they will panic and scramble over the rocks trying to reach the water and safety. Very young goslings often fall down into the rocks and are trapped while trying to escape.
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I personally choose to ignore the temporary inconvenience of their droppings and take the opportunity to observe and enjoy another of West Seattle’s many fascinating wildlife species.

ASteinberg May 7, 2011 (8:54 pm)

One would have to be a special kind of lowlife scum to run over a family of geese, and if I ever see anyone doing this, I will follow them to their home and have them arrested. Canada geese are not from Canada – they are named for John Canada, the taxidermist who first identified them. They are North American migratory waterfowl and are a protected species. They are very intelligent, loyal mates, devoted parents and very friendly once they trust you. I love these birds and am sick and tired of some communities giving them a bad rap. Virtually every animal “problem’ is human caused and so it is with the geese. As such, we owe them non-lethal humane solutions. There really aren’t too many geese – there are too many humans.

I am glad to see more of the posts here are from decent, nature/geese-appreciating people and only one from a complete moron – “K,” who was too much of a gutless coward and cretin to divulge its name.

Jill May 7, 2011 (9:19 pm)

enviromaven, what you said. lucky chick, lol.

And regarding aggressive, have ya observed any human behavior lately?

Herbert May 9, 2011 (1:33 pm)

Obviously…animal haters are insane people!

Richard May 9, 2011 (6:54 pm)

The Canada Goose is filthy ! Its droppings are not a temporary inconvenience! Here in Vancouver, BC, we have had to close park lakes because the coliform count was dangerously high; research traced the problem to the geese. One lake had a bottom layer of feces to a depth of 1′. There should be a major cull of the filthy creatures.

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