Angry Geese – advice needed

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  • March 2, 2012 at 7:09 pm #911015
    paulg
    Participant

    Angry Geese

    and I wish I was talking about the ‘angry birds’ game on the iphone.

    The trail I regularly ride runs from National Harbor (East side of Wilson Bridge) up past Oxon Cove farm and Oxon Creek to DC Water Blue Plains and Naval Research Lab. Along by the water at this time of year the geese are starting to get together and have babies.

    Quite normally the adult birds get a little annoyed if they feel their kids are in danger.

    I’m wondering what advice everyone has for approaching a family brood with annoyed adults. If ‘going around’ is not an option does one just ride normally making noise etc. or is it better to stop and try to get them to move?

    I’m of course worried about being pecked but if one of them lunges and gets their neck caught in the front wheel spokes I’ll be going over the handlebars and will probably wake up with angry geese pecking me to death!

    Paul G

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  • March 2, 2012 at 7:20 pm #937019
    MCL1981
    Participant

    Having had the pleasure of watching one of my friends be chased by a pissed off mama goose (absolutely hysterical), I would suggest lots of noise.

    March 2, 2012 at 7:44 pm #937021
    Justin Antos
    Participant

    Also applies on the Mt. Vernon Trail. I usually find a dinging bell makes them waddle to the side.
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]801[/ATTACH]

    March 2, 2012 at 7:51 pm #937023
    jabberwocky
    Participant

    Samurai sword, change your forum name to “Goose ninja”.

    March 2, 2012 at 7:51 pm #937024
    SpokeGrenadeSR
    Participant

    id say you just need a more appropriate bike..
    tumblr_l5yt7w9ioF1qbst30o1_500.jpg

    March 2, 2012 at 9:08 pm #937028
    consularrider
    Participant

    @SpokeGrenadeSR 15701 wrote:

    id say you just need a more appropriate bike..
    tumblr_l5yt7w9ioF1qbst30o1_500.jpg

    Hasn’t Dirt already built this one? ;)

    On the MVT the geese are pretty good about not blocking the paved trail (better than the tourists anyway :D). On those occassions I find them wandering across or just standing there, I slow down (just as when I appoach them close to the edge of the trail), ring my bell obnoxiously, and shout goose, goose, goose several times. So far I haven’t been attacked or run into one.

    March 2, 2012 at 9:59 pm #937030
    MCL1981
    Participant

    Or do like the airports do. Mount a small cannon and fireworks to the bike to scare them away.

    March 2, 2012 at 10:01 pm #937031
    rcannon100
    Participant

    what advice everyone has

    Labrador in the front bike basket.

    [ATTACH=CONFIG]802[/ATTACH]

    March 2, 2012 at 10:08 pm #937032
    PotomacCyclist
    Participant

    @Justin Antos 15698 wrote:

    Also applies on the Mt. Vernon Trail. I usually find a dinging bell makes them waddle to the side.
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]801[/ATTACH]

    I came across some hostile geese while running near that spot last year. A couple of them were hissing at me ferociously. I don’t remember if I backed off or sprinted past them. Canada geese are large birds. Don’t want to mess with them.

    I also ran in the middle of another large group along the Reflecting Pool on the Mall last year. I felt like I was in some horror movie. “Day of the Birds”? “The Great Swarm”? “The Gruesome Gaggle”?

    March 2, 2012 at 10:08 pm #937033
    KLizotte
    Participant

    @MCL1981 15707 wrote:

    Or do like the airports do. Mount a small cannon and fireworks to the bike to scare them away.

    I dunno. Many years ago some family members were setting off small fireworks from a lakeside wharf; it was dusk and there were some nearby white geese (the kind with the orange bills). Well, the geese did not take kindly to their peace and quiet being disturbed so they flew up on the wharf and attacked my relatives; quite violently in fact. It was funny until they started to bite and it was surprising how aggressive they could be. We ended up fending them off with folding beach chairs. We didn’t set off any more fireworks that night.

    Lesson learned: beware the goose.

    March 2, 2012 at 10:51 pm #937035
    mstone
    Participant

    Hmm. Lots of geese? You need fenders.

    March 2, 2012 at 11:13 pm #937036
    SpokeGrenadeSR
    Participant

    @PotomacCyclist 15709 wrote:

    “The Gruesome Gaggle”?

    what an awesome name for a band!

    March 3, 2012 at 12:24 am #937037
    OneEighth
    Participant

    I love Christmas goose. And I think the little wretches know it, too…

    March 3, 2012 at 6:32 am #937042
    StopMeansStop
    Participant

    Plum sauce

    March 3, 2012 at 1:35 pm #937043
    acc
    Participant

    I’m confused. Are we talking about tourists or geese? Same rules apply. Lots of noise and give them plenty of room, they’ll probably chase you. You’ll probably be able to out pedal the tourists.

    http://bicyclepoetry.wordpress.com/2008/07/11/no-cycling/

    PS — It would probably be a bad idea to scoop up a little one for a souvenir. (Being pecked is bad but kidnapping charges could ruin your day.)

    ann

    March 3, 2012 at 3:07 pm #937045
    Greenbelt
    Participant

    Isn’t it time for the geese to migrate back to the golf courses for spring?

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