Spring arrived last week, but the first geese were seen at Oak Hammock Marsh about three weeks ago on March 3 at 4:30 p.m. and there have also been several spotted at the Mennonite Heritage Village in Steinbach.

Jacques Bourgeois says the geese usually arrive mid-march with the earliest being last year on February 21 and the latest in 1996 on April 6. Bourgeois adds the geese are not as friendly with each other in the spring as they defend their nesting area.

"So these guys will try and defend their territory, they won't be as social as they were in the fall. They'll basically hiss at each other and try to chase them away and say, 'hey, this is my spot, this is where I want to nest.' So, that's the main concern right now, they basically want to establish their site and defend it."

He says after building their nest and laying eggs, the first goslings hatch around Mother's Day.

Bourgeois notes the other concern is finding food and water as the temperatures do still dip below freezing.

"They are extremely well built to survive cold weather, so the cold is not really what affects them. The thing that would be the most challenging is finding food and finding water. If the water is frozen, they have a bit of a hard time. Food, well, they pack up usually a fair amount of fat before leaving from the south to come here, so they will be able to live on their reserve of fat for a few weeks."

Bourgeois says there are geese who stay in Manitoba all year round and adds he saw one fly by The Forks on New Year's Eve after the fireworks.

He notes spring is a good time of year when it comes to the return of geese.

"Fall is just as fantastic because the sheer number of birds, it's just amazing, the whole sky fills up and it's really electrifying. But spring is exciting too because it's been so quiet for so long and then when you hear the first goose flying, like the first honk in the spring, to me it's like magic. It's like, oh, they're back, spring is here."

Bourgeois says the geese which spend the summer in Manitoba fly from North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Minnesota. He adds it will take a few more weeks before all the geese have migrated back.