Why have the Quinnipiac Canada geese not flown south for the winter?
The bird population at QU has increased dramatically since we have been back from break. You would think that with how cold it has been that the geese would have migrated a long time ago. Growing up, I always enjoyed watching them leave in their V formation, the one straggler squawking for his friends to wait up.
I envy their trip to a warmer climate — who wouldn’t want to fly South during the bitter winter months? It would be a relief to not step in slush while walking around campus. However, it would also be a relief to not step in geese poop too!
The geese are still here, and I think they invited some friends.
Seagulls, or, what I like to call them, rats with wings, have chosen the quad as their main residence.
I am not a bird person. There is something about the way they don’t blink that makes me anxious. The geese always scare me a little, the way they travel in hordes and glare at you as you walk to class.
But the geese are at least somewhat scenic. I can get away with showing a visitor my campus and saying “and those are the geese that live in our pond.”
What am I suppose to say about a seagull!? “Oh I guess there must be a pile of garbage nearby.” When there is a seagull I feel like I should be at the beach or in a Wal-Mart parking lot.
The seagull does not have a place here at Quinnipiac. I do not appreciate being woken up on my Saturday morning by them cawing; probably arguing with each other over a French fry.
I do not think the birds here are out of control. I just think we need to keep an eye on them so we are not surprised when we are overpopulated.
Take New Jersey for example. The state is flooded with these European birds called starlings. Everyone fell in love with them after Shakespeare wrote a play about the bird, and now all they are good for is perching on telephone wires and making a mess of our cars.
So what did New Jersey do to fix the overpopulation of starlings? They called in the U.S department of Agriculture to poison the birds by the thousands. Even when poisoned the pitiful starlings are a menace; residence of the garden state have been left with dead birds all over their lawn.
Quinnipiac, let’s not get to this point. Let’s just not leave French fries behind for the seagulls to eat. When the geese glare, stare right back at them. They need to know that they can stay, but they cannot take over.
And they should stop inviting friends.