Oceanside beaches are closed to dogs around this time every year to ensure there is no disruption to the migrating patterns of certain animals, like Black Brant geese.(Angie Ooms/Brant Wildlife Festival Facebook Page)

By Ian Holmes

peace for geese

‘It’s a critical time for them:’ calls made to leave Brant geese undisturbed during annual migration

Feb 15, 2024 | 6:49 AM

PARKSVILLE — For about two months annually the spectacle of thousands of determined birds beeline for Oceanside area beaches to rest, fatten up and head north to breed.

A local naturalist is highlighting the importance of providing a more peaceful climate for the prized Brant geese, which trek upwards of 3000 kilometers along the coast to the mid Island en-route to the Arctic Circle.

Lynn Brookes, director of special projects with Arrowsmith Naturalists, said early season arrivals of Brant Geese have been reported locally as the birds re-charge following a long journey from their winter homes in southern California and Mexico.

“It’s a critical time for them,” Brookes told NanaimoNewsNOW. “They come here tired and hungry. They need to rest, they need to feed and they need to get moving again.”

Eighty to 100 of the geese have been spotted at Rathtrevor Beech during recent informal counts, Brookes noted.

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She said typically two to five thousand Brant Geese visit local beaches by the end of April.

“If they’re able to feed and rest undisturbed they can leave more quickly and get up to breeding grounds quickly and pick the best spots faster and be more successful.”

Brookes said it’s essential for people to give the birds some space and keep dogs well away from them.

She called it disappointing to see dogs, and sometimes people, chasing Brant geese.

“The main threat to the Brant and their nestlings up north above the Arctic Circle is the Arctic Fox. Anything that is dog-like, fox-like is frightening to Brant Geese, they see that as something that’s really dangerous to them.”

Even leashed dogs present a threat to Brant geese in the Parksville-Qualicum Beach area. (James Murray)

Dogs are banned from Rathtrevor Beach between February 15 and April 30, while the same prohibition applies for Parksville Bay Beach between March 1 and April 30.

Dogs are not permitted on any public beach in Qualicum Beach between March 1 and April 30.

This year’s Brant Wildlife Festival, organized for the first time by the Mt. Arrowmith Biosphere Region, takes place from April 5-8.

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ian.holmes@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes