A Mallard/Canada Goose family has nested in a dangerous or undesirable area. What should I do?
Canada Geese and Mallards often nest in areas that perplex the people that observe themin backyards with barking dogs, on cement islands in the middle of parking lots, in courtyards frequented by crowds of children. These species tend to choose nesting sites that allow them to see potential threats approaching the nestareas that are flat and where visibility is good. In urban and suburban landscapes, the areas that best fit this bill are often those that have been manufactured or maintained by humans. Nests already containing eggs should be left alone until the eggs have hatched. They cannot be relocated without orphaning the unhatched young, and are also federally protected from interference under the Migratory Bird Act. The nesting process is a relatively short onethe parent or parents (female Mallards nest on their own, while Canada Geese normally stay in pairs to raise their young) will incubate the eggs for 3 to 4 weeks, after which point the parent(s) will walk their babies away
