INDIANA – You might notice geese getting angry this time of the year. There’s a reason for that.

It’s nesting season.

“From March, to May or June,” says Megan Dillon, who is an Urban Wildlife Biologist with the DNR. “That’s when geese can get particularly aggressive.”

Dillon wants to remind people to make sure they give geese plenty of room if near their nest.

“But if the goose starts to come toward you, the best thing to do is face it and back away slowly,” she says. “You do not want to turn around and run away. That’s when geese will attack, and if you trip, that’s when the injuries happen.”

Dillon also says you should think twice before moving the nest, even if it’s on your property.

“It is, technically, a violation of federal law,” she says. “Canada geese are actually federally protected through what’s called the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.”

“It basically says that the management of migratory birds is the responsibility of the federal government.”

If you do want, or need, to move a geese nest, you need to get a special permit through the DNR to have them safely move it.