WINDHAM — Bangers and screamers have Canada geese ducking for cover at Griffin Park.
But it will take more than these M80-like noisemakers for the town to triumph over the pesky birds and their foul ways, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The town's arsenal now includes a windmill, a plastic raptor, and nasty-tasting organic fertilizer.
Clearly, Windham has declared war on a segment of its goose population, and will use everything but lethal force to harass and disperse the loose-necked birds.
Why are they going to such great lengths? Because the public wants them gone.
"Complaints haven't stopped in six years," Town Administrator Dave Sullivan said.
Geese and humans alike enjoy Griffin Park. It bustles with activity in the summer. The town's busiest and largest park, it includes athletic fields, basketball and tennis courts, a skate park, a playground and a pond, and draws an estimated 500 visitors daily.
Sometimes, avoiding the birds can be a form of exercise for parents walking with their children near the pond, Recreation Coordinator Cheryl Haas said.
"Parents are like, 'We had to dodge the poop in the air,'" she said.
The dirty birds also pose a threat to good hygiene, and the town has tried a host of ways to make the geese go.
Sullivan said that included draping yellow ribbon and white string over the pond to keep the fowl from landing on the water.
It worked. But the ribbon and string was an eyesore and led to lots of complaints, he said.
Selectman Dennis Senibaldi suggested installing a water fountain in the man-made pond at the park last year to drive the geese away, Haas said.
But the recreation coordinator thinks the fountain's flying water has actually attracted geese.
Haas said police Chief Gerald Lewis likes to joke that the geese say to each other, "Hey, let's go to the Griffin Park water park."
Lewis has been no stranger to the park.
He has visited almost daily for the last week, acting on advice from Marsha Barden of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Armed with a bird-scare pistol launcher — on loan from the Department of Agriculture — the chief has fired away, seeking to get the geese to leave. Before firing, he explains to parents and children at the nearby children's playground what he's doing so they won't be alarmed.
So far, the gun seems to have worked. On Tuesday morning, there were only two geese at the pond, Haas said.
But even that is two too many for town officials.
In the coming days, the town plans to install a scarecrow windmill, spread organic fertilizer, and erect a mock bird of prey on a pole, Haas said.
Barden said a mixed approach works well. She visited the pond about 10 days ago before suggesting several goose-be-gone measures.
She said the department sometimes rounds up birds, takes them to Concord, and euthanizes them before donating the birds to a soup kitchen. But the town didn't want to go that route.
Another method would be to install a temporary fence around the pond. But that wasn't well received by some in town, Barden said.
The department also has a laser device that, when fired at birds, disorients them and persuades them to fly away. That tool is already on loan to another party, she said.
Barden said it has been a challenge to drive away the geese from Griffin Park because they really like it.
It offers everything they need: water, food, and clear sight lines. Geese do not like tall grass because it can obscure predators.
At the park this week, visitors had various takes on the goose problem.
Jackie Hudkins of Windham, with her daughter Roxie, said the birds make a mess, and she supports the town's efforts to get rid of them, so long as it is done in a humane way.
"It's nice that we have wildlife in Windham, but I've heard that their waste can be toxic to children," she said.
Tara Cuello of Salem, at the park with her 19-month-old daughter, Ariel, said a lot of people — kids especially — enjoy seeing the geese.
She said she took a photograph a week ago of her husband and Ariel watching geese.
"Beautiful pictures," Cuello said.
The prettiest picture to town officials, however, would be that of the geese flying away.
This isn't the first time geese have caused problems in town. Last summer, the town beach at Cobbetts Pond had to be closed due to high levels of E. coli bacteria believed to be related to the large amount of goose droppings in the water.
