CANADA, August 28 - This is part of five of a six-part series in which Lauren MacDonald documents her internship experience as an environment summer student with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DTI).  

I spent the day travelling across Queens County assisting with banding 350 Canadian geese.

Geese banding provides researchers and managers with valuable information, including dispersal and migration, life span, survival rate, reproductive success, and population growth. This information helps to inform decisions. At the same time, professionals use this chance to test for diseases, including avian influenza.

Surprisingly, banding geese is quite simple. In each location, a fenced area is set up and volunteers and others corral the geese by canoes, kayaks, and on foot. You may wonder how you can corral birds if they can fly. Most adult geese have shed their flight feathers at this time of year, in preparation for the fall migration. 

Once safely secured, recaptured geese are recorded and released while new geese are banded with a unique identification number and sexed.

Today, I learned that the oldest recapture experienced by one Ducks Unlimited Canada employee was 23 years old. What I enjoyed most about this experience is getting to hold baby geese.

My final day working here is quickly approaching. I’m wrapping up my work and preparing to head back to university soon.

Check back later for my final installment for the notes from the field series. I want to tell you all about developing and launching a province-wide bike rack mapping survey.  

Cheers,
Lauren

Lauren MacDonald is from Stratford and studied at the University of Prince Edward Island in the Bachelor of Science in Applied Climate Change and Adaptation program. She’s currently a master’s student at Dalhousie University studying resource and environmental management.   

Media contact:
Stacey Miller
Transportation and Infrastructure
902-218-2103
samiller@gov.pe.ca

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