AUBURN — The geese that called Lake Auburn’s outlet beach home for the past several months are gone, relocated to Flagstaff Lake by wildlife officials Thursday morning.

Ben Nugent, wildlife biologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s wildlife services department, said he was surprised at how many birds they found there. Wildlife officials rounded up 63 birds Thursday morning, adults and chicks.

They were moved north, where they were banded and released back into the wild Thursday afternoon.

“That’s where we found a suitable habitat and plenty of room,” Nugent said. “We’ve had good success relocating the birds in Maine, but we are banding them. If they come back, we’ll know.”

Geese moult each July, losing enough feathers to render them flightless. They’re easier to catch that way.

City, water and state officials have been watching the birds at the outlet beach for some time. Swimming is prohibited in Lake Auburn itself since it is the water supply for both Lewiston and Auburn. But water from the lake drains under Route 4 to the outlet pond, where swimming is allowed.

The beach normally opens each summer for public swimming and for summer youth recreation programs. Councilors cut the funding for the lifeguards last year, and haven’t planned to reopen it this summer.

That’s allowed the geese to take over. Nugent said he’s been monitoring the birds at the outlet and at other waterways in Central Maine, waiting for them to begin losing their feathers.

Thursday’s roundup involved four wildlife officials. Two used kayaks to herd the geese swimming on the pond together, and then on to the shore. There, two other officials steered them into an enclosure. The birds waited there until they could be transferred to crates and loaded into the truck.

“We do a handful of projects like this in Maine every year, and we’ve done one other so far this year,” he said. 

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