On Friday, April 18, 2025, Great Falls Park & Recreation Department hosted its annual release of geese and swans from their winter quarters at Gibson Park.
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The annual event was enjoyed by hundreds of people, particularly young children.
Each year in October, city workers put on their waders and pick up rakes to walk around in the pond, nudging the flightless birds toward a pen. Watch:
They are then driven a few hundred yards north to what is known as "Honker Hilton."
Through the colder months, the birds are kept inside for their own safety as many have clipped wings.
Park & Recreation staff care for the birds throughout the winter. The birds also have an indoor pond inside their winter residence.
Then each spring, the birds take a short ride in a trailer from their cozy winter abode on the north side of park over to the pond and released.
