Canada Goose

Even though a lot of city residents complains about them, I still find them beautiful and impressive, just I did when I saw them for first time.

My review for The Geese of Beaver Bog by Bernd Heinrich:

I read this book to better understand one of the most common large wild birds in my daily lives. While some city dwellers find them annoying, I’ve always found Canada geese beautiful, elegant, and fascinating. It’s hard to separate how much of my positive expression comes from my love of birds and nature, and how much from the power of the narrative. Either way, Heinrich’s storytelling is clear, and his occasional digressions into analyses and descriptions of other birds, mammals, and insects around the bog are both interesting and educational.

The book centers on a female goose named Peep, using her story as a thread to weave together behavioral observations and vivid details. It covers not just the Canada geese themselves but also their nesting environment in the beaver bog, which makes for engaging reading. The book helped explain many goose behaviors I’ve witnessed, such as the “crèches” - where one pair of foster adult geeses watches over goslings from multiple families. There are rich observations about nesting and details about intraspecific conflicts.

These are all typical merits of a nature writing book. However, there are some shortcomings when the author attempts to elevate the themes. I agree with other reviewers that the motivations and themes become somewhat confused. In some plot, the author certainly crosses some boundaries in his interactions with wild animals. He also includes an appendix discussing Goose population and defending hunting, which feels awkward and unnecessary for me, especially as his analysis of Canada goose populations focuses on their urban population explosion without addressing how some local residents (like in the Midwest) became vanished by overhunting in the early 20th century. To be clear, I’m not opposing the author’s particular arguments, but rather noting that some complex topics, while raised, aren’t comprehensively addressed and don’t align with the book’s main tone.

Nevertheless, for readers who are geese fans and interested in their behavior, this book can be a valuable and engaging read - as long as they maintain critical thinking about boundaries in wildlife interaction, and have their own independent views on some conservation issues.

2025.02.15.

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