Many folks have negative feelings towards these beautiful birds. I think much of the problem is in milder climates where the geese decide to quite migrating and become year-round residents. Not sure how or why that happens, and it can wreak havoc on fish ponds, particularly the expensive koi. Sounds like you have a well established transient community to enjoy. How nice, and I enjoyed your description of their annual visits. We get occasional visitors to our farm pond but so far they are just using it as a resting spot rather than a nesting site. Your wildlife refuge sounds wonderful.
