Category: Richardson’s Cackling Goose

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Snow Geese Arriving

With plenty of open water on the main lake and no snow cover on the fields where they graze, Snow Geese have begun arriving at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster/Lebanon Counties.  As long as our mild winter weather continues, more can be expected to begin moving inland from coastal areas to prepare for their spring migration and a return to arctic breeding grounds.

You probably need a break from being indoors all month, so why not get out and have a look?

Hundreds of high-flying Snow Geese descended onto the main lake at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area this afternoon.
Snow Geese and a few Ring-necked Ducks as seen from the Willow Point observation area at Middle Creek this afternoon.
The sound of calling Tundra Swans is music to the ears on an otherwise quiet winter day.
Dozens of Common Mergansers are at Middle Creek W.M.A. right now.
Look carefully and you might see American Black Ducks among the waterfowl in the refuge’s impoundments.
Northern Shovelers have been at Middle Creek since late fall.  If they can continue to access the muddy bottom of the refuge’s lake for food, they’ll stay until the spring migration.
Check those flocks of Canada Geese carefully, sometimes you’ll find something different among them,…
…like this noticeably smaller bird, probably either a Lesser Canada Goose (Branta canadensis parvipes) or a Richardson’s Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii hutchinsii).

Don’t just sit there—don your coat, grab a pair of binoculars, and get out and have a gander!

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