Geese nesting in the snow after spring blizzard, rehabilitation centre says

Manitoba geese hunker down in the snow A lot of geese have already returned and with this late spring snowfall, they're not finding the most hospitable welcome.

If you come across a goose that appears to be buried in the snow, the Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre is asking people to leave it be—the goose knows what it is doing.

Amid the spring blizzard that walloped parts of Manitoba with snow, geese have been seen partially buried in snowdrifts. Lisa Tretiak, president and co-founder of the Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, said in some cases the geese are just hunkering down to avoid the storm.

"Others are actually nesting, so they're actually protecting the eggs underneath them. So they're trying to keep them nice and warm with all this extra layer of snow," she said.

Tretiak said the geese are not trapped in the snow and can easily get up and shake the snow off and go back to nesting. She said trying to help the geese who are trying to nest may do more harm than good.

"Going up to them is going to scare the goose more than anything, and they may not return on to the nest," she said. "So we really want to make sure that you leave them alone. They're taking care of themselves."

She said putting out food for the geese is not necessary either, as they have enough food stored within them to last until their eggs hatch and they can venture out from their nest.