Turns out the 'dumb' places Canada geese lay eggs, aren't so dumb after all
Colin Butler | CBC News | Posted: April 6, 2019 10:00 AM | Last Updated: April 6, 2019
Laying eggs on roofs is a great way to avoid predators such as skunks, says one wildlife expert
Sebastian Borsatti came to do his homework. What he got was a side of nature.
"They're very protective any time anyone gets near their nest, they start to get wild."
They, in this case, are a pair of nesting Canada geese who've made their home on a windowsill on the fourth floor of the D.B. Weldon Library on London's Western University campus.
The nest is right outside a quiet study area where students rarely speak and when they do, it's a hushed whisper. The geese don't seem to be very understanding.
"They can be a bit loud sometimes," Borsatti said. "They get annoying, but it's still nice to see."
"I'm looking forward to when the egg hatches."
When the egg finally does hatch, there's an obvious problem: the nest is four storeys up and the only way to go for a newborn gosling is down.
"A lot of people take wild animals as being on the dumb side," said wildlife expert Brian Salt, who runs Salthaven Wildlife and Education Centre.
Salt said the reason Canada geese often lay their eggs on roofs is to keep their young from becoming dinner.
"It's an attempt to avoid predators. You don't see skunks climbing three or four storeys just to get goose eggs," he said. "For us humans, the issue is how do the babies get down if they don't have wings to fly?"
"They actually just jump," he said.
Salt said he's seen baby Canada geese jump from 18-storey apartment buildings and survive. The reason they do is because their body mass is so light, they often bounce.
"They don't seem to hurt themselves for the most part," he said. "It's a system that has worked for them for years and years."