Geese form very strong, lasting social bonds. A pair usually mates for life, although when one dies, the other remates. Some Canada geese nest for the first time at the end of their third year. They usually lay 5-8 eggs requiring about 28 days of incubation. The proud parents are very protective of their young goslings.
Family ties remain strong throughout the first year.
While most Canada geese go north to nest, some resident geese remain at Blackwater where the young broods may be seen in early summer. This flock of resident Canada geese began with injured adults who could not migrate and stayed to raise their families at Blackwater. However, the resident geese have multiplied and become pests that often destroy crops planted for the migratory waterfowl. There has been much speculation as to what causes the geese to begin their spring and fall migrations. The increasing or decreasing length of days, combined with weather conditions and other variables, motivate the geese to migrate twice yearly.