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Friday, March 31, 2017

Snow Geese

On a hunt to find some shore birds that had been seen this winter along Bow-Edison road we came upon, instead, the biggest flock of Snow Geese we had seen this winter  Because of the freezing weather there was not as much soft ground for the Snow  Geese to feed on so the huge flocks split up and even moved farther south when the exceptionally large flocks of Trumpeter Swans took over the fields.
 We were excited to see them in this location - which was not their regular feeding ground most years.
 The flock was estimated at 30,000  Snow Geese
 One goose in particular caught our eye - the dark on in the middle of the photo.  It is a Blue Goose, or Dark Morph Snow Goose - this is the first year we've ever seen one.
 The flock was never still - with birds taking off and landing constantly - chattering all the time.
 And new flocks began arriving - landing at the end of the flock nearest us - giving us the perfect view.

 Never landing on another bird - they would settle in and begin feeding immediately.
 Landing and taking off
 Then, as if by signal, the flock began lifting off the field

 Swirling into the sky


Just a few left on the ground
 And then they were all in the air

 Heading off to the bay for a safe night's sleep



 And into the sunset

 We sat, stunned by what we had seen and heard, and stunned by the vast silence.


15 comments:

  1. These scenes are incredible.
    Loved all your photos.
    Have a Happy Weekend!
    Peace :)

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  2. Oh my goodness....how incredible to see so many snow geese. I cannot believe how many there. Your photos are breathtaking. How exciting to be there and capture these beautiful birds in all their glory.

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  3. Hello, I love the sounds of the Snow Geese. What a beautiful sight to see them all lift up and take off. Great series of photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!

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  4. ...I stopped by a field this week to see if I could find some Snow Geese, there were none. Now I know why, they are ALL in your neck of the woods.

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  5. This is surreal! - almost something you'd suspect was done with studio animation at Disney. What a thrill to actually witness this incredible display of nature at its best!

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  6. What fun to be at just the right place, and just the right time. Lovely shots! We were once driving down the highway and saw a huge flock of these. A pleasure to see!

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  7. Don't ya just love them. Constant noise and constant moving. I think they are on a conveyor belt in the field. Magic. Excellent shots. My daughter on the ranch in Ritzville saw one lone Snow Goose at the Goose Ponds on their property. She had never seen one over there before. Just one it must have gotten off course somehow.
    Yes I am tired of the constant rain---our ground is squishy and puddley.
    Today is April Fools Day so I will pretend the sun is shining. haha
    MB

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  8. That just takes my breath away! I know you were happy to be there to see them! I'm so glad you got such great photos...it would be hard to describe it in words, wouldn't it? Enjoy your weekend! Hugs, Diane

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  9. Hubby just looked at all of your photos and said wow a bunch of times! We just can't get over how many were in the sky at the same time!

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  10. I can't imagine what thirty thousand snow geese would look like...just glad I wasn't standing under them when they decided it was time to poop!
    You got some great photos, JoAnn!

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  11. We saw them like this for the first time this year...it is beyond thrilling.

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  12. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen your shots. What an awesome sight and how lucky you were to see it. I get excited at our little flocks of a few dozen trumpeter swans. I'd be beside myself to see this many.

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  13. Lots of drama in those pictures. They seemed to have departure time down to a science.

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  14. That's a lot of geese in one spot. We have five Canada Geese that have returned to the lake around the cabin. We had five last year so I don't know if these are the same ones or new ones. We also have a male Common Loon. For the last few years we've had Red-throated Loons instead. I wonder if this means we will have a changing of the guard. - Margy

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