How much is too much goose poop in London's city parks?

It's piling up on park grass and marking cement on city paths. Some London park-goers are noticing extra goose droppings this spring — and say it's becoming a messy nuisance.

While some other southern Ontario cities have turned to goose relocation and egg removal to reduce conflict with residents, Londoners have mixed opinions on how London should handle the situation in the Forest City.

"We had to move our blanket because the grass is covered in geese poo, so we're sitting on some concrete right now," said Madeleine David, who was spending time with her son at the splash pad at Gibbons Park on Wednesday.

Others say they come prepared to encounter the droppings.

"I'm used to just keeping my eyes open and dodging it," Old North resident Dan Felton said. "They don't have special little rooms where they sit down and take care of business."

Steph Gunn, who teaches weekly toddler art classes at the park said she tidies up a portion of the grass every time she visits.

"I bring doggy poop bags and I just clean it up because we have infants and babies crawling around," Gunn said. "I'm thinking of actually moving all of my classes to another park here in London just because Gibbons seems to be where they've all migrated this year."

Bird Friendly London coordinator Brendon Samuels said it's not uncommon for geese to pick a favourite spot to set up camp each spring.

"They like to be near water, which makes sense because they are a water bird, and they really like to have a clear, flat landscape like the lawns that you would find at Gibbons Park," Samuels said, adding that the flat land makes it easier for geese to find food and watch out for predators.

While it may seem like goose population numbers are up, Samuels said he doesn't think that's the case. The overall population has been steady for several years, he said, but the springtime is when more geese are noticeable as eggs hatch and fledglings take their first steps.

"The [parents] are showing them the ropes of how to be a goose walking around the city," Samuels said.

Some Londoners say the geese and their droppings have become a nuisance, though they are unsure if there is a safe way to fix the problem.

Some nearby cities are trying out different strategies to deal with the goose population. On Tuesday, the City of Waterloo and its wildlife relocation team herded a flock of Canadian geese out of a park, onto a trailer and over to a bird sanctuary in Kingsville, Ont.

The federal government does not typically recommend that cities relocate geese, "since the geese may simply return to the site when they have re-gained the ability to fly or in the next season," according to information on the Government of Canada website.

"I think there's reason to be skeptical about trucking away an animal that can fly with the expectation that it's just going to stay there," Samuels said. "If the geese want to come back, they know how to come back."

Meanwhile, the City of Windsor got a permit from the federal government that allowed them to hire a contractor to remove 150 eggs from seven local nesting spots.

Samuels said he does not think it's necessary for London to implement any strategies that will remove geese, but can consider ways to make parks less attractive to geese.

"Before the next spring, there might be an opportunity to do some habitat modification, like planting shrubs or trying to reduce the total lawn area, especially right up to the water," he said. "That will signal to the geese that they should look somewhere else for next year's nesting."

In the meantime, Felton said he thinks it's important for park-goers to learn to coexist with geese.

"I'm looking at them right now. They're just sitting there and hanging out, so I don't know if they're hurting anybody," he said.

"I don't think anything has to be done … They're part of the environment here, and I'm probably on the fence that this is more their neighbourhood and we're coming onto their turf."