Swans versus Geese

So, the swan. They're very beautiful, create cute babies, strike me as somewhat intelligent (but not quite as smart as the geese... as my story will reveal), seem to recognize names I've given them etc, and have distinct personalities. I like them. But they're an invasive species in this area, which is not good for waterfowl.

Swans eat a lot of food, the same food the Canadian geese prefer, are very aggressive and territorial, and the ecosystem does not appear to have evolved to adjust to their presence. Nesting is difficult for waterfowl when the swan is around. During swan nesting, the male swan becomes hyper aggressive, particularly with the geese. The male swan chases the geese, tries to kill the female, and if the eggs are successful, he goes after goslings. He doesn't just scare parents and goslings, he tries to kill them. 

I have no idea why the geese stubbornly return to the pond, or the pond to the left of my pond, to nest each spring given the brutality of the swan, who obviously wants the female and babies dead. It would seem the geese would forget this place. But, no, they nest on the pond to my left, then bring the babies over to my pond en route to a creek that takes them away. 

How do they do it? I made a video showing it. I happened to be out and awake when they made the big trip with babies. This is how the geese deal with the evasive creature. They work in groups, they confuse the swan with constant distraction. In the video below I try to show how it works. They have two adult family members helping out. One goose at each corner of the pond, ready to distract if the swan goes for the babies.

The morning of this film -yesterday-- the swan cornered the parents and baby. And that's where I come in. (I had to do this last year too) I got my whole wheat bread (only used when this happens. Never ever feed babies bread. Very bad for them) and called the swan over. His name is "gorgeous" and yes, he comes when I call gorgeous. He loves bread. While I distracted him, the parents walked through the woods towards the far end. The video is below. 

And the next day, the parents brought me their babies. So cute. I put a video of them below. But they truly should stay away. I suspect they lost a baby and came back for it, then came onto my property protected by the fence. They also noticed I helped save the babies and probably knew I would help again. Yes, I did. I once again distracted the swan so they could get away.

Sure, most people find the geese annoying and their poops a mess. But these birds are are highly intelligent and creative creatures.  I am amazed how they work in groups to protect the offspring. This requires planning, communication skills, and organized processing. I'm impressed.