Ducks and geese fouling waterside garden, help.

aheard

I have just moved into a waterside property and find that it is regularly crowded with ducks and geese who leave so much excrement that it is a constant struggle to clear it from the garden.

i would love to discourage them without hurting them.  Some neighbours have low fences of about 18 in but i am renting and also do not to block the view entirely or lose access permanently as i want to use my canoe

Someone suggested a low green wire fence which might work. Does anyone know the optimum height to dissuade them as they can fly.

Any help most welcome.

Dovefromabove

They won't fly from the river to the garden - they'll waddle - so 18" to 2ft will do the job - you might find that some of them fly into your garden and expect to waddle to the water, but once they learn that they can't they'll stop doing that - waterfowl are quite bright really.

It would be a good idea to leave a bank of a couple of feet or so for them to roost on and for any ducklings etc that don't want to be on the water all the time between the fence and the water's edge - then you'll get all the fun of watching them without the poop (duck and goose poop is very .................. poopy - I used to keep ducks and geese - one of the ganders liked to poop on our back step while he attacked his reflection in the glass door panels).

If you feed the ducks make sure you feed them away from your bank. 

It sounds a lovely spot 

aheard

Thank you so much for your advice.  There is a flat area of grass and then a bank which slopes gently down with a flat area of reeds which is partially submerged so it will not be difficult to follow your advice for the bank and still give some space for ducklings whilst being able to reduce the excrement.  I do not expect it to be perfect but I also want to put some weed, feed and moss killer on the grass and don't want to poison the birds as I love them in the garden.  I have never seen so many of them as I have always lived on developments which are over populated by cats. We even saw a heron on the opposite bank today.

Thanks again.

Dovefromabove

It sounds absolutely idyllic