Date: July 28, 2020

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Goose Population

This season there has been an increased presence of geese at Credit Valley. Although they are an enjoyable sight at times, the damage that they create through their excrement is unwelcome. The Greens Department staff check and clean up the areas where the geese frequent first thing each morning.

In southern Ontario, geese find an area to begin nesting in late March or early April. Unfortunately, this year this led to them establishing a home during the early stages of the pandemic. With far less staff, golfers and four-legged furry friends in their midst compared to normal, the golf course quickly became a comfortable habitat. Dutchie, my faithful sidekick, has been hard at work. When the opportunity is right, he gives them a bark of encouragement to move onwards.

Unfortunately, once geese have established a nest and laid their eggs, relocation is far more difficult. This season there were close to a dozen goslings on the property. Soon after the goslings are born the adults begin the moulting stage, where they lose the ability to fly for four to six weeks. This creates an even more difficult situation for relocation because their mobility is limited. Now that they have completed this stage and have regained their ability to fly, they are beginning to leave the property more consistently.

Continued management through this season and years to come in a more frequent interaction will reduce the favourability for nesting and habitats. I am cautiously optimistic that repeated reminders will help the geese realize it is time to move on to greener pastures sooner than later.

Trees and Ongoing Maintenance

Through the year it is typical to see a wide range of weather events that can cause destruction to trees, the most frequent culprit being wind. After these events are done, we are always taking extra precautions and looking for possible hanging and loose limbs. Assessment and monitoring are an integral part of maintaining our existing tree population. In the fall, we utilize our resources and the observations gathered through the season to prune a significant portion of the trees. This pruning process is imperative for improved safety, with the removal of deceased limbs, and for tree health.

On July 19, we lost two trees on the property in a significant wind event and on the July 20, a large limb fell from a neighbouring property onto the 3rd hole.

A large portion of a black walnut behind the 15th green was lost in the wind too. Unfortunately, the damage to the tree was too significant, and for safety, a full removal was required.

These are a few examples of the destruction nature can bring and the need to seek shelter in inclement weather.

Continuing our careful monitoring and management of trees for safety, health and playability will not eliminate all risks, but will help to significantly reduce the frequency of these events.





Comments
4 Replies to “July 28 Update”

  1. Keith Mowatt says:

    I’m always cautious in my approach having been attacked once!! Not on the course, up in Sudbury. Usually they don’t bother me on the course but on Sunday evening they’re were tons of them on the 7th green – not usually where I run into them – and they weren’t too keen to move away for my putt! Needless to say it caused a three putt to my usual two putt!

  2. Tom Francis says:

    Enjoy your blog. Thanks for explaining the geese population. They really take away from an otherwise great condition of the course.
    One question I have is why do the greens remain so slow compared to normal? Is this a lower maintenance cost issue?
    Generally the course looks great in spite of the very dry weather. A tribute to you and your staff . Thanks for your efforts.

  3. John Quinn says:

    Hello
    I played recently at Pipers Heath as a guest.
    The greens there were much faster and smoother than ours. I prefer them fast and smooth. I find the CV greens a bit slow. Are other members saying this or is it just me.

  4. Ursula Thomson says:

    Thank you Chris. You information about the geese was very interesting, and I am very pleased to see Dutchie so hard at work! Give him an extra treat!

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