In his description of Canadian wild geese in his book Birds in America, John James Audobon, the 19th century ornithologist, tells the reader that wherever these birds may be found and however remote from the launts of man they may be, they are at times so vigilant and suspicious that is next to impossible to take them unaware.

In keenness of sight and acuteness of hearing,
they are perhaps surpassed by no other bird. They act as sentinels for each other and during those hours when the flock reposes one or more ganders remain on watch.

At the sight of cattle, horses, deer and other animals that do not pose a threat, they are practically never alarmed. However, if one of the sentinels announces a bear or cougar and if the flock is on the ground near a lake, they quickly and silently stay there until the danger has passed.

Should an enemy pursue them in the water, the males utter loud shieks and the birds arrange themselves close together, rise simultaneously and fly off in a compact body. At such times they seldom form lines or angles; it is only when the distance they have to travel is great that they
do this.

So acute is their hearing that they are able to distinguish the different sounds of their foes with amazing accuracy. The breaking of a dry stick by a deer is at once distinguished from the breaking of a stick by a man. If eight or ten large turtles drop into the water, making a loud splash in their fall, or if the same effect is produced by an alligator, the wild goose pays no attention. On the other hand, no matter how faint and distant may be the sound of
a man's footsteps it is at once noted; every bird raises its head and looks intently in the direction from which the noise emanated and in silence all watch the movements of their enemy.

These wild birds are extremely cunning. To elude being seen by a hunter they silently move into the tall grasses at the edge of the water, lower their heads and lie perfectly still until the peril is over.