they were on my golf course last year. They are fertilizing the yard just like they fertilize the golf course.

I rescued a goose 3 years ago. He was swimming in a pond and a snapping turtle latched on to his foot and also messed up his wing. The goose got away but couldn't fly. I got 3 other golfers, 2 golf carts, a sheet, and a cat carrier. Well after chasing the goose for 45 minutes he finally went into high weeds to hide where I got a sheet over him and got him into the cat carrier. I took him to a rescue shelter where they said they couldn't fix his foot and wing, so he ended up living the life of Riley at the shelter.

Most of the geese here are (probably) non-migrating.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources Announces Midwinter Waterfowl Survey 2023 Results

In early January, aerial survey teams of pilots and biologists from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) made visual estimates of the ducks, geese, and swans along most of the Chesapeake Bay, Potomac River, and Atlantic coast shorelines. This year, the teams counted about 632,200 waterfowl, higher than the 563,800 birds observed in 2022 but lower than the most recent five-year average of 682,520 birds.

“The distribution and abundance of wintering waterfowl are influenced not only by the annual changes in population size but also the weather conditions during migration and throughout the winter,” said Wildlife and Heritage Director Paul Peditto. “The surveys our staff conduct provide a snapshot of where waterfowl are located in the state and are combined with data from other states in the flyway to track the status of several important waterfowl species.”>>>

https://southernmarylandchronicle.com/2023/02/09/maryland-department-of-natural-resources-announces-midwinter-waterfowl-survey-2023-results/


Guess I'm glad I checked!