State worker injured in goose attack

A Canada goose that’s taken up residence outside state offices in SouthWood recently charged at a Department of Management Services worker, leaving her shaken and injured.

A manager for DMS was returning to her office on Esplanade Way the afternoon of April 29 when the goose attacked.

"(She) was walking toward her car and a goose came out of the bushes toward her hissing,” a witness said in a workers’ compensation report. "(She) tried to avoid the goose and lost her footing and fell backward and hit her head hard on the pavement.”

The witness said she lay in the parking lot for a few minutes but didn’t lose consciousness. She had a large bump on the back of her head about the size of his hand, he said. Coworkers helped her to her supervisor’s office.

“She was visibly shaken, crying and holding her head,” a DMS manager said in the report. “I observed a large bump on the back of her head. An ambulance was called and she was taken to the hospital.”

The state has been grappling with the issue of Canadian geese at the Capital Circle Office Complex for years. The waterfowl, which are protected under state and federal law, can become aggressive during spring nesting season, hissing and charging and flapping their wings.

Several state agencies have put animal decoys and fencing around state office entrances to keep the geese away from workers. Last month, the Department of Health sent an email to staff members with tips to avoid problems with the geese.

Last week, a state worker reported two geese were outside the front door of the Public Service Commission's office and charging at employees.

Jaronda Harris, who works for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said she no longer takes breaks outdoors to avoid the geese.

"It's so bad that I have had dreams about them," she said.

Tips for state workers

• Don't feed the geese.

• Don't make eye contact with the geese.

• Don't wave your arms or kick legs at the geese.

• Don't try to get up close to take pictures of the geese.

• Don't get up close to the nests.

• Do go the other way when the geese appear to be agitated.

• Do respect the geese while they are present.

Canada geese facts

• Nest locating and building begins in February. 

• Eggs are laid during March and April. Resident birds nest earlier. Migratory birds nest late and the incubation time is 28 days. 

• The nesting period has to be completed by late April to allow for the incubation period to be completed in May. 

• Beginning in early June, they go through a molting period — losing and regrowing flight feathers. 

• The molting period coincides with the goslings growing their initial flight feathers. They must be positioned by this time near water and food due to their inability to maneuver well.

• After molting is completed (normally about 30 days, but can be longer), the parents remain grounded with the young for most of the summer. 
Afterwards, flight training for the goslings starts and the flocks extend their flight ranges in September.

• The cycle starts again the following February.

(Source: Florida Department of Health)

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.