Aggressive geese?

[oldbikechick]

Hi all – For the first time this morning I had one of the geese lunge at me on the MVT between the I66 bridge and the Memorial Bridge. That was a first for me and kind of took me by surprise. Then on the way home, it happened again, near the same spot. Has anyone else experienced that? I’m not too worried about it, but I wonder if they are more of a menace to joggers and pedestrians.

Topic

[Rootchopper]

They are protecting a gosling that you may not have seen because of the tall grass. I’ve seen geese do this a lot. They never make contact with people. No worries. Give them a wide berth.

[thucydides]

Yep, gosling season. I had one bite me pretty hard once when I was a kid. Lesson learned. My favorite is when they hiss at you.

[huskerdont]

You can give them a wide berth, or if they’re in the middle of the trail, you can make a whole lotta noise and they’ll usually scatter with some hissing and threatening to nip you. Many times out the towpath I’ve come across a crowd of people afraid to go through and just done this and the geese have moved aside. Obviously be careful and don’t hurt them, and if possible, it’s best not to go between the adults and the chicks.

I once dated a girl who fed the bears at a Maymont in Richmond. She’d take a big bucket in to swing around for protection, but not for the bears, for the geese.

[jabberwocky]

Alternate solution:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11737[/ATTACH]

(I hate geese)

[OneEighth]

I whistle Christmas tunes at them. Most of them seem to get my meaning and move beyond reach.

[huskerdont]

@jabberwocky 139425 wrote:

Alternate solution:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11737[/ATTACH]

(I hate geese)

I see you’ve taken your vorpal sword in hand…

[mstone]

@jabberwocky 139425 wrote:

Alternate solution:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11737[/ATTACH]

(I hate geese)

I think this is more practical: [ATTACH=CONFIG]11738[/ATTACH]

[dbb]

@mstone 139429 wrote:

I think this is more practical: [ATTACH=CONFIG]11738[/ATTACH]

Only when accompanied by:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11739[/ATTACH]

[bentbike33]

@jabberwocky 139425 wrote:

Alternate solution:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11737[/ATTACH]

Or bladed spokes.

[dbb]

@bentbike33 139431 wrote:

Or bladed spokes.

Says the man that was allowing Wheels and Wings to clear the path through the geese

[bentbike33]

@dbb 139432 wrote:

Says the man that was allowing Wheels and Wings to clear the path through the geese

I don’t have the bladed-spoke wheel-set any more. Kept cutting my fingers when fixing flats.

[DrP]

@bentbike33 139431 wrote:

Or bladed spokes.

Wouldn’t scythed wheels or spikes on the wheels be more effective? One could call them old fashioned, but they worked well in ancient times and I think for James Bond or the like. This might also help with clearing the trail of other people who tend to take up too much space and/or move too slowly. Can’t make them too wide, or going through the tunnel under Memorial Bridge won’t work at all.

[bentbike33]

@DrP 139434 wrote:

Wouldn’t scythed wheels or spikes on the wheels be more effective? One could call them old fashioned, but they worked well in ancient times and I think for James Bond or the like. This might also help with clearing the trail of other people who tend to take up too much space and/or move too slowly. Can’t make them too wide, or going through the tunnel under Memorial Bridge won’t work at all.

Like this?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11740[/ATTACH]

[dbb]

More like this

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11741[/ATTACH]

BikeArlington should prepare for increased complaints by peds

[mstone]

@dbb 139445 wrote:

BikeArlington should prepare for increased complaints by peds

Speaking of which, jogging with your left arm out has really become a thing on the W&OD. I didn’t realize the density of assholes passing too closely had gotten that high.

[Author]

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