Snow Goose – LIFE IN THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA RIVER WATERSHED

March 3, 2024March 5, 2024

Snow Geese, Bald Eagles, and More at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area

To take advantage of this unusually mild late-winter day, observers arrived by the thousands to have a look at an even greater number of migratory birds gathered at the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area. Here are some highlights…

Trails at Middle creek Wildlife Management Area — Multitudes of Sunday hikers enjoyed the warm afternoon on Middle Creek’s many trails.

In one of Middle Creek’s numerous impoundments, newly emerged Painted Turtles bask in the sunshine.

Native blackbirds, particularly males including this Brown-headed Cowbird, are arriving to stake out a claim on suitable breeding territory.

Male Red-winged Blackbirds visit the feeding station at the Middle Creek W.M.A. Visitor’s Center.

Brown-headed Cowbird and Red-winged Blackbird — Brown-headed Cowbirds regularly maintain close association with Red-winged Blackbirds, a frequent victim of the former’s nest parasitism, the practice of laying and abandoning their eggs in a host species’ abode. By early May, adult “red-wings” can often be seen tending fledged cowbird young raised at the expense of their own progeny.

Common Grackles displaying. — Male Common Grackles display their colors in an attempt to establish dominance.

Visitor’s to Middle Creek’s Willow Point Trail not only had a chance to see thousands of geese and other waterfowl, but they might also get a good look at some of the handsome White-crowned Sparrows that have been there during recent weeks.

The first Tree Swallows of the season have arrived to stake a claim to nest boxes located throughout the refuge’s grasslands.

Bare croplands and muddy shorelines around Middle Creek’s lakes and ponds are attracting migrating Killdeer. Some will stay to nest.

Hundreds of Ring-billed Gulls arrived during the late afternoon to spend the night on the main lake.

A Red-tailed Hawk was seen hunting mice and exhibiting territorial behavior. It is probably protecting a nest site somewhere on the refuge.

Canada Geese could be seen coming and going, with migratory birds apparently supplementing the resident flock. This group flushed when a Bald Eagle passed close by.

Bald Eagles — You could hold a Bald Eagle I.D. clinic at Middle Creek W.M.A. right now. Dozens of birds of varying age classes could be seen in the trees surrounding the main lake and the larger ponds. Currently, fifty or more could be present. At least one Golden Eagle has been seen as well.

Adult Bald Eagle — An adult Bald Eagle in definitive plumage investigating the inhabitants of the lake.

Second-year Bald Eagle — This Bald Eagle in its second calendar year is not yet one year of age, but it has already begun replacing dark body feathers with a light plumage that will earn it the nickname “white belly” for this and its third year. It will start molting its long hatch-year (juvenile) flight feathers soon after its first birthday.

Second-year Bald Eagle and Red-tailed Hawk — Another second-year immature Bald Eagle, this one being scolded by the aforementioned territorial Red-tailed Hawk. Though showing some wear in the tail, this eagle still has a full set of lengthy hatch-year (juvenile) flight feathers and remains mostly dark below when compared to the bird of the same age class seen in the previous image. As in other birds, diet, genetics, stress, climatic conditions, and many other factors will frequently vary the timing of molt among individuals in a population of Bald Eagles.

Third-year Bald Eagle — An immature Bald Eagle in its third calendar year still retaining numerous long juvenile wing and tail feathers. In coming months, as it reaches its second birthday, it will begin replacing the remaining older plumage with a set of new flight feathers.

Fourth-year Bald Eagle — An immature Bald Eagle in its fourth calendar year approaches its third birthday with a rather conspicuous long juvenile feather remaining in each wing. These feathers will soon be replaced. In addition, the body plumage will darken, the head will begin to show more white, and the bill will become yellow. In about two more years, the bird will attain its familiar adult definitive plumage. Click the “Hawkwatcher’s Helper: Identifying Bald Eagles and other Diurnal Raptors” tab at the top of this page to learn more about determining the age of these and other birds of prey.

Snow Geese and Observers at Middle Creek W.M.A. — Bald Eagles draw a crowd, but the real attraction at Middle Creek W.M.A. in late winter is Snow Geese,…

Snow geese at Middle Creek W.M.A. — Migratory Snow Geese, an annual spectacle at Middle Creek.

Snow Geese and hundreds of onlookers. — Snow Geese and hundreds of delighted onlookers.

Short-eared Owl at M.C.W.M.A. — As daylight waned and the Snow Geese returned to the main lake for the night, more than one hundred lucky observers were treated to the rare sight of several Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus) emerging to hunt the refuge’s managed grasslands for mice and voles. For many of these visitors, it was a memorable first-time experience.

January 5, 2023January 6, 2023

Migratory Waterfowl on Local Ponds and Lakes

Following the deep freeze of a week ago, temperatures soaring into the fifties and sixties during recent days have brought to mind thoughts of spring. In the pond at susquehannawildlife.net headquarters, Green Frogs are again out and about.

A pair of Green Frogs seen today alongside the headquarters pond. A sign of spring?

But is this really an early spring? Migrating waterfowl indicate otherwise. Having been forced south from the Great Lakes during the bitter cold snap, a variety of our tardy web-footed friends belatedly arrived on the river and on the Susquehanna Flats of upper Chesapeake Bay about ten days ago. Now, rising water from snow melt and this week’s rains have forced many of these ducks onto local lakes and ponds where ice coverage has been all but eliminated by the mild weather. For the most part, these are lingering autumn migrants. Here’s a sample of some of the waterfowl seen during a tour of the area today…

Tundra Swans and American Black Ducks loafing on an ice-free lake.

The non-native Mute Swan has become an invasive species. Because they are predominantly non-migratory, groups of Mute Swans congregating in valuable wetland habitat can decimate these aquatic ecosystems with their persistent year-round feeding. Their long necks help them consume enormous quantities of benthic foods that would otherwise be available to migratory diving ducks during their autumn and spring stopovers.

Small flocks of Gadwalls will sometimes spend the winter on ice-free vegetated ponds in the lower Susquehanna region.

A mixed flock of diving ducks on a small lake. Let’s take a closer look!

Redheads, Lesser Scaup, and Canvasback — Six Redheads, three Lesser Scaup (top row left), and a Canvasback (upper right).

A female (right) and a first-winter male (left) Lesser Scaup.

With the worst of winter’s fury still to come, it’s time to say farewell to most of these travelers for a little while. With a little luck, we’ll see them again in March or April.

Striped Skunk — Our official susquehannawildlife.net prognosticator climbed out of its winter hideout today to have a look around. Then, without hesitation, the forecast for 2023 was issued, “Winter Stinks!”

March 3, 2022

The Blizzard Has Arrived: Snow Geese at Middle Creek

It’s that time of year—Snow Geese on their northbound migration, more than 100,000 of them, have arrived for a stopover at the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster and Lebanon Counties. Get there now to see scenes like these in person…

Snow Geese at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area — Thousands of Snow Geese gather on the main impoundment at Middle Creek. Presently, over 100,000 are estimated to be visiting the refuge.

Tundra Swans at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area — More than two thousand Tundra Swans are visiting Middle Creek right now too.

female American Kestrel — A passing American Kestrel doesn’t seem to ruffle any feathers among the multitudes of Snow Geese on the lake…

Bald Eagles at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area — …but when the local pair of Bald Eagles gets close, such as when they’re escorting a third party away from their nesting territory, …

Snow Geese and Tundra Swans at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area — Thousands of Snow Geese rise behind the placid group of Tundra Swans in the foreground.

November 4, 2021August 14, 2023

A Visit to Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

It’s surprising how many millions of people travel the busy coastal routes of Delaware each year to leave the traffic congestion and hectic life of the northeast corridor behind to visit congested hectic shore towns like Rehobeth Beach, Bethany Beach, and Ocean City, Maryland. They call it a vacation, or a holiday, or a weekend, and it’s exhausting. What’s amazing is how many of them drive right by a breathtaking national treasure located along Delaware Bay just east of the city of Dover—and never know it. A short detour on your route will take you there. It’s Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, a quiet but spectacular place that draws few crowds of tourists, but lots of birds and other wildlife.

Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge is located just off Route 9, a lightly-traveled coastal road east of Dover, Delaware. Note the Big Bluestem and other warm season grasses in the background. Bombay Hook, like other refuges in the system, is managed for the benefit of the wildlife that relies upon it to survive. Within recent years, most of the mowed grass and tilled ground that once occurred here has been replaced by prairie grasses or successional growth, much to the delight of Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and other species.

Let’s join Uncle Tyler Dyer and have a look around Bombay Hook. He’s got his duck stamp and he’s ready to go.

Uncle Ty’s current United States Fish and Wildlife Service Duck Stamp displayed on his dashboard is free admission to the tour road at Bombay Hook and other National Wildlife Refuges.

The refuge at Bombay Hook includes woodlands, grasslands, and man-made freshwater pools, but it is predominately a protectorate of thousands of acres of tidal salt marsh bordering and purifying the waters of Delaware Bay. These marshes are renowned wintering areas for an Atlantic population of Snow Goose known as the “Greater Snow Goose” (Anser caerulescens atlanticus). Witnessing thousands of these birds rising over the marsh and glowing in the amber light of a setting sun is an unforgettable experience.

Trails at various stops along the auto tour route lead to observation towers and other features. This boardwalk meanders into the salt marsh grasses and includes a viewing area alongside a tidal creek. Our visit coincided with a very high tide induced by east winds and a new moon.

During high tide, an Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) seeks higher ground near the boardwalk and the wooded edge of the salt marsh.

As the tide rises, fast-flying shorebirds scramble from flooded mudflats in the salt marsh on the east side of the tour road.

When high tide arrives in the salt marshes, shorebirds and waterfowl often concentrate in the man-made freshwater pools on the west side of the tour road. Glaring afternoon sun is not the best for viewing birds located west of the road. For ideal light conditions, time your visit for a day when high tide occurs in the morning and recedes to low tide in the afternoon.

A view looking west into Shearness Pool, largest of the freshwater impoundments at Bombay Hook.

Bombay Hook has many secretive birds hiding in its wetlands, but they can often be located by the patient observer. Here, two Pied-billed Grebes feed in an opening among the vegetation in a freshwater pool.

One of Bombay Hook’s resident Bald Eagles patrols the wetlands.

American Avocets (Recurvirostra americana) gather by the hundreds at Bombay Hook during the fall. A passing eagle will stir them into flight.

An American Avocet, a delicate wader with a peculiar upturned bill.

As soon as the tide begins receding, shorebirds and waterfowl like these Green-winged Teal begin dispersing into the salt marshes to feed on the exposed mudflats.

The woodlands and forested areas of the refuge host resident songbirds and can be attractive to migrating species like this Yellow-rumped Warbler.

For much of its course, the tour road at Bombay Hook is located atop the dike that creates the man-made freshwater pools on the western edge of the tidal salt marsh. If you drive slowly and make frequent stops to look and listen, you’ll notice an abundance of birds and other wildlife living along this border between two habitats. Here, a Swamp Sparrow has a look around.

Savannah Sparrows are common along the tour road where native grasses grow wild.

Bombay Hook is renowned for its rarities. One of the attractions during the late summer and autumn of 2021 was a group of Roseate Spoonbills (Platalea ajaja), vagrants from the southern states, seen here with Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula).

Roseate Spoonbills and Great Egrets at Bombay Hook.

Remember to go the Post Office and get your duck stamp. You’ll be supporting habitat acquisition and improvements for the wildlife we cherish. And if you get the chance, visit a National Wildlife Refuge. November can be a great time to go, it’s bug-free! Just take along your warmest clothing and plan to spend the day. You won’t regret it.

April 19, 2021June 17, 2021

Piebald Deer at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area

Except for a few injured stragglers, Snow Geese have departed Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster and Lebanon Counties to continue their journey north to breeding grounds in Canada. The crowds of observers are gone too. So if you’re looking for a reason to pay a visit to a much quieter refuge, here it is—especially if you’re a devoted deer worshiper.

There is at least one white deer being seen on the refuge. That’s right, a white deer. Its unusual color is really becoming conspicuous as the landscape begins turning from shades of gray to various hues of bright green.

No, it’s not a reindeer. This piebald White-tailed Deity was seen this afternoon on the west side of Kleinfeltersville Road north of the Middle Creek W.M.A. visitor’s center opposite the Willow Point Trail parking lot. Those of you who are regular deer-watchers at Middle Creek are familiar with the location, and maybe this particular white-tail too.

Because it has brown eyes and a brown snout, we known this is not an albino deer. A piebald deer possesses white pelage as the result of genetic inheritance of an uncommon recessive allele possessed by both parents. Other anatomical mutations can accompany the receipt of the piebald variation, some of them crippling. The pale young deer entering the picture from the right bears some resemblance to the piebald on the left. We may be seeing ten-month-old twins foraging with their brown-coated mother.

If you go, you’ll need binoculars to pick out these uncommon deer. And remember to be very careful when parking and observing along Kleinfeltersville Road. The speeding cars and trucks there can be wickedly dangerous, so give them lots of room.

March 5, 2021March 6, 2021

Snow Goose Numbers Peaking

It’s that time—Snow Goose numbers are peaking at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster/Lebanon Counties.

Today, migrating Snow Geese arriving from wintering areas on the Atlantic Coastal Plain blanketed the ice-free half of the lake at Middle Creek. There are probably in excess of 100,000 birds at the refuge right now.

The density on the lake is relieved as geese filter out to a nearby field to graze.

Periodically throughout the day, observers are thrilled by the sight of Snow Geese rising into the air in unison as a thunderously loud cloud of birds.

Open water is at a premium right now, so these Ring-necked Ducks and a Tundra Swan have to squeeze in where they can.

If you’re going to Middle Creek to see the Snow Geese, be certain to bring your camera and viewing optics. If you want to miss the largest crowds, the Pennsylvania Game Commission recommends visiting during the morning or on a weekday. For everyone’s safety, please remember to slow down and follow the posted parking directives. And so that the wildlife isn’t disturbed by your visit, please heed the signs designating the no-entry and propagation zones.

January 16, 2021January 17, 2021

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!

March 20, 2020August 15, 2022

A Springtime Quiz

The mild winter has apparently minimized weather-related mortality for the local Green Frog population. With temperatures in the seventies throughout the lower Susquehanna valley for this first full day of spring, many recently emerged adults could be seen and, on occasion, heard. Yellow-throated males tested their mating calls—reminding the listener of the sound made by the plucking of a loose banjo string.

Here’s a gathering of Green Frogs seen this afternoon along the edge of a small pond. How many can you find in this photograph?

If you venture out, keep alert for the migrating birds of late winter and early spring.

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are moving through on their way north. Look for them in mature trees in woodlands, suburbs, and city parks.

The Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca), our largest sparrow, is a thrush-like denizen of shrubby forest understories and field edges. It is an early spring and late autumn transient in the lower Susquehanna valley.

While stopping to rest and feed during their northbound spring journey, Ring-necked Ducks and other diving duck species visit wetlands and flooded timber along the Susquehanna River as well as clear ponds and lakes elsewhere in the watershed.

Eastern Bluebirds are presently migrating through the area. Some will stay to breed where nest boxes or natural cavities are available in suitable habitat.

Tree Swallows are now arriving. In open grasslands, pastures, and adjacent to almost any body of water, they will nest in boxes like those placed for bluebirds.

Keep that bird bath clean and fill it with fresh water, the American Robin flights are peaking right now. Breeding males like this one are starting to sing and defend nesting territories.

Red-winged Blackbirds, like other native blackbirds, are moving through in a fraction of the numbers that were seen in the lower Susquehanna valley during the latter decades of the twentieth century. They remain a common breeding species in pastures and cattail wetlands.

And of course, keep an eye to the sky. There are still thousands of Snow Geese in the area.

If you’re staying close to home, be sure to check out the changing appearance of the birds you see nearby. Some species are losing their drab winter basic plumage and attaining a more colorful summer breeding alternate plumage.

European Starlings are losing their spotted winter (basic) plumage and beginning to display a glossy multicolored set of breeding feathers.

An American Goldfinch in transition from winter (basic) plumage to bright yellow, black, and white summer colors.

So just how many Green Frogs were there in that first photograph? Here’s the answer.

If you counted seven, you did really well. Numbers eight and nine are very difficult to discern.

Happy Spring. For the benefit of everyone’s health, let’s hope that it’s a hot and humid one!

February 16, 2020June 9, 2020

Snow Goose X 100,000

According to the most recent Pennsylvania Game Commission estimate, there are presently more than 100,000 Snow Geese at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area (W.M.A.) in Lancaster and Lebanon Counties. It’s a spectacular sight.

Noisy flights of Snow Geese, which can number from hundreds to thousands of birds, consist of strings of multiple V-shaped flocks. During late-February and early-March, they are a common sight as they make excursions from the lake at Middle Creek W.M.A. to feeding areas in the farmlands of the lower Susquehanna valley and back again.

During the early 1990s, Snow Geese started moving away from compromised late-winter feeding areas in tidal marshes on the Atlantic Coastal Plain and began taking advantage of grazing and gleaning opportunities among grass crops (wheat, etc,), and more recently cover crops, in the almost predator-free high-intensity farming areas near the Middle Creek refuge.

If you go to see these and other birds at Middle Creek, it’s important to remember that you are visiting them in a “wildlife refuge” set aside for, believe it or not, wildlife. “Wildlife refuge”, many would be surprised to learn, is short for “terrestrial or aquatic habitat where wildlife can find refuge and protection from all the meddlesome and murderous things people do”.

It’s not necessary to cross the well-marked boundaries of the refuge to get a better look at the geese, swans, and other wildlife at Middle Creek. Nor is it necessary to blow your motor vehicle’s horn, clap your hands, yell, or make other noises to scare the geese into flying so that you might get a good photograph. Such disturbances cause the birds to expend the energy they need to continue their journey north. They also cause the Pennsylvania Game Commission to spend funds on crowd control that might otherwise be spent on improvements to wildlife habitat.

By embracing the virtue of patience, observers can get spectacular views and take great pictures from outside the refuge boundaries.

Photographers who stand quietly and make no sudden movements will find that the foraging Snow Geese will often approach well within the range of most cameras. All of these pictures were taken with an inexpensive model purchased at a Walmart.

Intermixed within the flocks, there are usually good numbers of gray-mottled hatch-year (juvenile) birds and often a few examples of the dark brown “Blue Goose”, a not-so-rare color morph of the Snow Goose.

Observers viewing tens of thousands of Snow geese from the Willow Point observation area at Middle Creek W.M.A.

There are approximately 1,500 Tundra Swans at Middle Creek W.M.A at the present time. Compare their pure white plumage and long necks with the black-tipped wings and short stocky necks of the Snow Geese accompanying them in this image.

Clamoring geese let observers know that a massive lift-off may be in the making. Cameras are made ready.

Sooner or latter, the geese will engulf the patient observer within one of their swirling swarms.

March 21, 2018September 4, 2019

It is the First Full Day of Spring…Isn’t It?

You remember the signs of an early spring, don’t you? It was a mild, almost balmy, February. The earliest of the spring migrants such as robins and blackbirds were moving north through the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed. The snow had melted and ice on the river had passed. Everyone was outdoors once again. At last, winter was over and only the warmer months lie ahead…beginning with March.

Common Grackles are often the first perching birds to begin moving north through the lower Susquehanna valley in spring. They often winter in large roving flocks of mixed blackbird species on the nearby Atlantic Coastal Plain Province. These flocks sometimes wander the farmlands of the lower Piedmont Province near the river, but rarely stray north of the 40th parallel before February.

Ah yes, March, the cold windy month of March. We remember February fondly, but this March has startled us out of our vernal daydreams to wrestle with the reality of the season. And if you’re anywhere near the Mid-Atlantic states on this first full day of spring, you know that a long winter’s nap and visions of sugar peas would be time better spent than a stroll outdoors. Presently it’s dusk, and the snow from the 4th “Nor’easter” in a month is a foot deep and still falling.

In honor of “The Spring That Was”, here then is a sampling of some of the migratory waterfowl that have found their way to the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed during March. Some are probably lingering and feeding for a while. All will move along to their breeding grounds within a couple of weeks, regardless of the weather.