When Tara Lundrigan turned around, the bird flew at her.
Moments earlier, the large Canada goose had quietly posed in the pond outside the Squamish Adventure Centre, while Lundrigan and her boyfriend Nicolas Hesson snapped photographs. It was a sunny spring day. The cherry blossoms on the trees surrounding the information centre caught their eye. But their attention quickly turned to the pair of geese.
"It wasn't scared of us at all," Hesson said of the large male.
And that's the problem. For the past three springs, Squamish Adventure Centre operations manager Deanna Wampler has played peacekeeper between centre patrons and the feathered couple that has built its nest next to the centre's outdoor pond.
"It is pretty stressful to have to worry about it," she said, adding it's not uncommon to field complaints about unfriendly goose-human encounters.
The centre's staff enjoyed watching two batches of eggs hatch, but along with that privilege comes naturally protective geese. At first, officials tried to keep people away from the pair with warning signs, WildSafe B.C. coordinator Meg Toom said. But after that failed, this spring officials are trying something new - foxes.
The rubber foxes with fluffy fabric tails that move in the wind are a part of an experiment. Toom is hoping the non-lethal approach will encourage the geese to find a new home away from the constant stare of the plastic foxes' beady eyes.
"They might feed here but it might prevent them from laying their eggs here," she said.
Wampler has her fingers crossed. This summer 14 large tree trunks carved with descriptions of province's forestry history will be relocated to the Squamish Adventure Centre grounds. The nine-foot-tall "Log Books" will encourage people to roam the property in front of the centre, Wampler said. Hopefully they won't be under threat of proud, protective Canada goose parents.
