Duckology – Banding Canada Geese

This time-lapse video shows the process of banding Canada geese — with some added flare from Delta photographer Fred Greenslade. The birds were banded near the Delta Marsh by a team led by Frank Baldwin, provincial game bird manager for Manitoba.

Parental geese and their young are flightless this time of year, so they can be herded into a drive trap made of nets, and then corralled for banding. With snow geese, a crew surrounds the birds by dropping people off with a helicopter on all four sides of the flock.

During banding, each goose is categorized as a gosling or adult, and male or female. The sex of a goose is determined by examining its cloaca for the presence/absence of a penis.

Having a big crew helps get the geese processed quickly and reduces stress on the birds. It’s clear that the team had a productive day!