Snow goose migration

Each year during their migration the snow geese make a stop at Gunnison Bend Reservoir just ouside Delta, Utah. It is a big deal for this small town with their Snow Goose Festival, a 5K titled the wild goose chase and a whole host of other activities but I dislike crowds and I show up before the festival. This years' festival is this coming weekend but I've already got my pics as my wife and I made the drive this past Sunday. Enough with the blah blah blah and onto the fotos.

This first image was actually the last of the day, but it shows how big the cloud of geese is. The gaggle (or is it skein) moves as if it is a single entity, flowing and undulating, ebbing to and fro.

1

Wow, that would be great to see that, nice photo's.

That is amazing

A most evocative series. I've seen flocks like this over the years in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Manitoba, and they are spectacular. The experience must be akin to seeing the great herds of buffalo of yesteryear.

Thank you all for the kind words. I'm glad you enjoy the fotos.

If only the bison were still here in those numbers. What a thought. Truly is sad, no, heartbreaking to think some animals may not be here tomorrow.

If one goose was owed money by another goose, I don't see how he'd find that bounder in the crowd.

garnerfoto wrote in post #18281179
Each year during their migration the snow geese make a stop at Gunnison Bend Reservoir just ouside Delta, Utah. It is a big deal for this small town with their Snow Goose Festival, a 5K titled the wild goose chase and a whole host of other activities but I dislike crowds and I show up before the festival. This years' festival is this coming weekend but I've already got my pics as my wife and I made the drive this past Sunday. Enough with the blah blah blah and onto the fotos.

This first image was actually the last of the day, but it shows how big the cloud of geese is. The gaggle (or is it skein) moves as if it is a single entity, flowing and undulating, ebbing to and fro.

1

2

3

4 How many geese you ask? That's easy, just count the number of feet and divide by two

5

6 When this many geese are flying directly at you, you make sure to be ready to get in the car if they make it overhead

7 Luckily they turned to stayed over the water, no retreating to the car

8

We get them migrating through California too. I went earlier this year. Didnt have too much success, but when they are in large numbers both the sights and sounds are amazing. This year we have been having so much rain that they apparently have spread themselves out over a greater area.

Amazing !!! great to see, must be great to hear as well !!!
I goose, all, and I'm deeply appreciatived (impressatived?) of their migrations

Great images! I spend all fall photographing Snows around our home along side of Lake St Francis up here in Ontario. They usually show up around our Thanksgiving (October) and hang around until December when the river freezes over. They will be back in less than a month as they make their way back up to the nesting areas. nothing like half a million Snows flying over head to get your attention.

Thanks again for all the great comments.

Larry, that's too bad your luck wasn't better. At least you're getting some water this year.

Ian, I can barely imagine a half million snows. The "experts" say we get about 20,000.

Very nice set! I finally made the trip to see them in Vermont last November. I got some amazing video footage, but they were too far away for decent still photos the day I went. They stay for a couple of months in the corn fields in the Addison Vermont area every fall.

Tom,
Last year was over the top. We usually see 100k-150k birds but it seems that in the flyway east of us the farmers were very late in getting crops off. however, in our area, crops were off earlier than I can ever recall. Seems that every snow in Eastern Canada was camping outside my front door. The morning flights out and back in in the evening were specular.
I'll dig out a couple of images.

Wow, Number 4 really shows the number of geese that migrate through. I'm on the Mississippi flyway but our numbers are not quite so big.

Excellent series, really captures the mass of birds!

TFS

Tom,
Took a drive out to the country this morning and your geese have flown up here.