Take a gander at who's honking back in these daily New Maryland traffic tie-ups
Flock of local geese cross Route 101, cause daily traffic interruptions for residents
Love 'em or hate 'em, the Canada geese of New Maryland are creating quite a stir.
With only one way in and out of the village south of Fredericton, drivers are often held up by a gaggle of geese crossing Route 101 near the Baker Brook culvert.
In fact, the flock's crossing is so frequent, New Maryland has installed seasonal geese-crossing signs to alert motorists.
Roger Shannon has lived in the community of about 4,100 his whole life and knows all about the geese and the delays they cause. He said he can't remember a time when New Maryland didn't have geese at the pond near Charters Construction.
"They cross every morning at about eight. They're just like clockwork, and then they go back into their field where they hang out."
When Shannon looks out his window and sees a string of cars backed up on the two-lane highway, he knows the geese have decided to cross.
Resident Lisa LeBlanc has lived in New Maryland for 10 years and has been held up by the geese numerous times.
"It's not a big deal. I've been late for work numerous times and I come in, they say 'Geese?' and I'm like, 'Yep.'"
Prime goose habitat
Biologist Alan Hanson said the Charters pond is a prime habitat for geese because of its green grass and open water, which helps them escape predators.
"In New Maryland, if they have those two key factors of nice green lawns that are fertilized and high in protein, then they'll be drawn to that as well as the open water."
Hanson, who spent 35 years with the Canadian Wildlife Service, said it's not uncommon to see geese crossing roads this time of year as they are moulting, meaning they're growing new feathers for flight.
Geese going 'to the washroom everywhere'
Shannon and his son both have properties across the street from the pond, so they're impacted beyond the traffic delays that other residents experience.
"They'll cross into those two lawns and they'll spend, you know, a couple hours over there doing their thing, eating the grass and going to the washroom everywhere. Then they'll cross back over and hang out in the pond or in the field," explained Shannon.
He doesn't deny the geese are beautiful and said he would "rather they be here than not be here." But he wants people to understand "the implications of what they do to somebody's property."
Getting rid of the gaggle
As a biologist, Hanson has worked with geese throughout his career and has some advice for getting rid of them.
He said geese will look for new territory if they feel threatened by predators, so people can try shooing them away. But, he said, that has to be done in early spring when they can still fly.
Simply scaring away the current flock isn't a permanent solution though, said Hanson, since other geese will just move in to the vacated prime habitat. The area has to be made less tempting.
"Not having a green mowed lawn right to the water's edge can also dissuade geese from establishing on someone's property," said Hanson.
The owner of the pond declined an interview with CBC News.
Team goose
The gaggle does have admirers, though, including LeBlanc.
"I love it in the morning or in the spring, you see the babies, we call them fuzzies," said LeBlanc.
But she does recognize the crossing could be a problem if people can't get stopped before the geese decide to cross.
"It's 60 through here, not the Indy 500. So if everybody's going the speed limit, they should be able to slow down in time," said LeBlanc.
Hanson agrees that caution could be the best solution to the geese crossing. He recommends motorists stay in their vehicles and be aware of who's in front of them and behind them.
"If the motoring public was just to be really cautious about geese crossing in the morning and then late afternoon and evening, I think that would probably be the lowest-cost potential solution," said Hanson.
Take a gander at social media
Shannon said the goose presence in New Maryland has created "a little bit of a social media frenzy." The community Facebook page has dozens of posts about the geese and their activities.
LeBlanc is a part of the Facebook page and is glad to have the geese in New Maryland
"You look forward to seeing them every year. I don't care what people say, I don't care if they're a nuisance. I love it … Every day I go by I'm like, 'Where are my babies?' because I'm excited to see them," she said.
The Facebook page also serves to warn people when the geese are crossing. Some users offer recommendations for how motorists should behave, such as encouraging patience and vigilance when passing through the area.
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