Why Flocks Of Geese Are Choosing Sioux Falls Airport Runways

Sioux Falls is dealing with a familiar winter problem: geese who seem to think the flight paths around the Sioux Falls Regional Airport are their personal runways.

To keep the skies safe for the humans who also enjoy flying this time of year, the city is rolling out its annual defense system, sound cannons. Think of them as loud, harmless reminders to the geese that maybe they should winter vacation elsewhere.

According to Dakota News Now, Sioux Falls becomes a goose hot spot each winter because parts of the Big Sioux River stay unfrozen. That open water is basically an all-inclusive resort for geese, so they gather in flocks large enough to qualify for group discounts.

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Unfortunately, what’s fun for geese is not fun for planes. When you’ve got 200 to 300 birds hanging out in an airport flight path, things can get messy, literally. Geese can crack windshields, get sucked into engines, and create serious hazards for aircraft.

To keep the birds moving along, sound cannons will be placed around the Sioux Empire Fairgrounds, Elmwood Golf Course, and the Household Hazardous Waste Facility. Lead Animal Control Officer Thomas Rhoades told Dakota News Now that when he started the job, he never imagined “geese and the airport” would be a daily concern, but here we are. Welcome to the Midwest.

The good news: the sound cannons don’t harm the geese; they just scare the tail feathers off them and encourage them to relocate to somewhere that's not directly in front of a plane.

And for nearby residents, fear not, you won't be hearing things that go boom in the night. The city only fires the cannons during the day. No late-night goose wake-up calls, and no need to check whether your neighbors are launching fireworks in December.

The system has worked well in the past, so here’s hoping the geese get the hint and find a new place to congregate that's far away from the Sioux Falls Airport.