Brant geese use the beaches and waters in Parksville and Qualicum to rest and feed ahead of the second leg of their migratory journey to Alaska. Brant geese stop in Parksville during their annual migration north. (Sandra Gray/Brant Geese Festival)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

beach restrictions

Brant geese migration triggers annual beach closures to dogs

Feb 3, 2022 | 5:23 AM

PARKSVILLE — A mass migration of geese are set to return to local beaches over the coming weeks.

It means restrictions will be placed on beaches in Parksville and Qualicum, preventing dogs on the beach to protect the resting and feeding birds.

Parksville’s Rathtrevor Beach will be off limits to four-legged friends from Feb. 15 through April 30. While the Parksville Bay Beach and all public beaches in Qualicum will have a similar limitation between March 1 and April 30.

The move is designed to give the Brant a safe space to feed and rest on their long journey from homes in California and Mexico, to nesting grounds in Alaska.

Thousands of birds make the journey every year and different flocks of Brant visit the region over a nearly three month period.

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An uninterrupted chance to rest and eat is crucial for making sure they have the energy to finish their journey.

“They are wild animals and they’re skittish and even a person, child or dog getting too close can ruffle their feathers and make them take off and we don’t want that, we want them to rest and feed,” Ceri Peacey from the Brant Geese Festival, told NanaimoNewsNOW.

The geese will begin arriving in Alaska sometime in May and stay north until temperatures begin dropping in October and November.

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