Snow Geese in Flight – Winter Delight
The Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania has astonishing natural events that occur on a yearly cycle. One in particular occurs every winter.
During the winter months tens of thousands of Snow Geese undulate in seemingly never-ending threads across the winter sky.
Barren fields appear white as snow as each bird gleans what it can from harvested crops.
These beautiful, gentle birds winter throughout the United States and Mexico. Along the Atlantic coast Greater Snow Geese can be found as far south as South Carolina.
Occasionally birds banded through a project conducted by the Université Laval can be found feeding amongst the thousands wintering in the valley.
www.cen.ulaval.ca/gon-gsg/en_description.aspx
Once spring approaches Snow Geese journey northward to nesting grounds in the High Arctic tundra. In this cold desolate landscape they lay their eggs and raise their young.
Distribution of the Greater Snow Goose
Only one population of Greater Snow Geese exists in the world. It is almost entirely confined to the Atlantic flyway of North America. Greater Snow Geese breed in the Canadian High Arctic, from the Foxe Basin to Alert on northern Ellesmere Island. Some breeding colonies can also be found on the western coast of Greenland. This makes the Greater Snow Goose one of the most northerly breeding geese in the world. It winters along the United States Atlantic coast, from New Jersey to South Carolina, with major concentrations around Delaware and Chesapeake bays.
from: www.hww.ca/en/species/birds/greater-snow-goose.html
To find out more about this migration and to see the photos of last year’s flocks click on any of the links.
theirisandthelily.wordpress.com/2011/03/10/a-field-of-white/
Great photos…
We see the occasional snow goose haging out with the enormous flocks of Canada geese that winter here.
I think they’re having an Identity Crisis…
Spectacular…and I know that the one goose has a tracking device around its neck but it looks gold so it looks more like a fancy necklace.
WOW! Once a moment I felt myself there with my camera… Should be so exciting… Probably I would have been flying with them too :) You did great shots. Birds always fascinate me and I am crazy with them. Thank you, have a nice weekend, with my love, nia
Amazing. The second picture looks like a Woodstock for geese.Probably just as loud as the real Woodstock as well.
I loved your photos. We have the lesser Snow Geese here in Texas. They are abundant and fun to watch. Thanks for sharing.
Amazing photos! So clear and atmospheric… I can almost hear them. It must be deafening with them all flapping and chattering!
LOVE your shots Bonnie! Especially those with the standing geese in the field with the fying geese above them. Gorgeous.
Birds flying + camera ===>> good stuff.
Ah! What in incredible sight! You got such amazing shots of them, both on the ground and taking flight…it must have taken your breath away to see it.
I am from the Lehigh Valley! Grew up in a small town called Emmaus, just outside of Allentown. The farmland in the background of your shots looks awfully familiar!
These pictures were taken just north of the ABE airport on Airport road! I am in the process of starting a community blog called Valley Impressions. It will be a photoblog featuring the cities, towns parks etc of the valley!
That’s fantastic! I know exactly where that is. My sister works off Airport Road, and I’ve driven by there probably 100 times. I look forward to Valley Impressions, and I have a friend / gardening Mentor who lives off of Cedar Crest Blvd near Dorney Park (just behind the old Charcoal Drive In / now-Bieber Bus stop) if you know where that is! She will definitely love to check out your new blog, I’m sure!
Good pictures. Sensational amount of birds. Thank you for sharing them.
You did an excellent job conveying the feel of such a huge number of snow gees in one place. I like the way the fourth image contrasts the geese on the ground with those in the air.
Steve Schwartzman
http://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com
So glad you and others saw this! It was exactly what I was trying to convey!
Bravo, Bonnie! These picture are about as close an experience as you’ll get to actually witnessing this magnificent winter scene. As I stated on my FB several weeks ago, it is very had to capture the beautiful image of the sun glistening off their feathers as the are in flight up against the blue sky with a photograph. It truly looks like the sky is twinkling! But you’ve done a spectacular job! I would love to post some of these on my FB!!
Thank you and of course you can, I would be honored!
Several of my FB friends loved the photographs, left some nice comments, and have even shared the link with some of their friends. (check out my FB wall) You may pick up a few more followers of your blog :)
It is so amazing to see these massed birds. Great photographs
Incredible photos!!
I’ve seen a couple white geese hanging-out with our brown-bodied and black-necked geese here in Salt Lake…maybe snow-geese stopping-by for a visit? Our geese take to the golf courses in the winter…so funny/curious to see them all walking around.
Anyway, well-done. Thank you. :)
Wow that is great.
Amazing!
Incredible shots!
Thanks for stopping by my Post today! Your geese photos are breath-taking!
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very cool! thanks for like! much appreciated :)