Geese in the air

[bowbum]

We were in Lancaster and Lebanon Counties, (and other counties), yesterday and saw thousands of geese flying and on the ground picking in the corn stubble.
I suppose it is the normal time but it seems early. North of Lebanon County we did not see a goose.

[davet]

It's rare to see geese fly any longer. Around here it's common to see them not fly. And even more common to step in a grease like substance around lakes. Year round. Then have protesters with signs that say "Save the geese" while the homeless starve.

I ask myself....how did we get to this point?

[Goosehunter]

Middle Creek is filling up with Snow Geese, would be a good time to plan a sight seeing trip as they won't stick around to long.
Unfortunately, the Tour road doesn't open till March 1st and you'll have to be satisfied to drive the perimeter of MC till then.
You might ask why the heck is the tour road closed during prime time viewing of all the Waterfowl??
Well you can thank the Resident Manager of MC for that decision.

[bowbum]

"Our" geese showed up this morning to a frozen pond. 

We've always had a migrating pair stop here and raise a couple of young since the pond was built.
The last two years, however, one of them has had a band.

[Goosehunter]

That is a shiny looking band.

With your spotting scope you should get the complete numbers off the leg band and report it. You'll get the info back on sex, age, when banded and where it was banded.
Since true migrating geese don't nest down here in PA I would bet that goose was banded somewhere close by to you in PA.

[Dutch]

Feb 21, 2016 9:37:06 GMT -5 Goosehunter said:

Middle Creek is filling up with Snow Geese, would be a good time to plan a sight seeing trip as they won't stick around to long.
Unfortunately, the Tour road doesn't open till March 1st and you'll have to be satisfied to drive the perimeter of MC till then.
You might ask why the heck is the tour road closed during prime time viewing of all the Waterfowl??
Well you can thank the Resident Manager of MC for that decision.

It's always been that way, right Charlie?

But, I could see them opening it a week or two earlier, as conditions permit.

All that traffic on freezing and thawing road might not be so good tho.

They have closed many roads there since the early 80's.

[Goosehunter]

Prior to the current Resident Manager of MC, the tour road closed a couple days before goose season started (around Nov 1st), then the tour road opened back up the day after goose season closed (this year that was the end of Jan). Goose season dates changed over the years, but now the tour road closes Sept 17th and reopens March 1st.
The tour road is a small part of the road system and the only part that has seen maintenance, it's actually in pretty good shape. The rest of the roads inside MC have received no maintenance and are in no shape to handle traffic.
Over the last 17 years the access to MC has been severely limited.

But it's still a really great place to visit. The Visitors Center has seen many recent improvements and is very user friendly.

[bowbum]

Feb 21, 2016 12:09:57 GMT -5 Goosehunter said:

That is a shiny looking band.

With your spotting scope you should get the complete numbers off the leg band and report it. You'll get the info back on sex, age, when banded and where it was banded.
Since true migrating geese don't nest down here in PA I would bet that goose was banded somewhere close by to you in PA.

Is there such a thing as a "lesser" migration?
Our visitors disappear by summers end and we don't see them again until the following spring. If they are residents, they are hanging out somewhere else for most of the year.

I wondered if possibly, (with nothing more than uneducated speculation), if perhaps some geese do not do the old hard core - extreme south to extreme north - migration.......but rather leave to avoid the extreme winter conditions but are not necessarily inspired to join the crowds on the tundra in spring and want nothing more than a suitable nesting/feeding area....?
That's what I would do.