Laura Smith and I spent several hours in the area of Point Au Roche, both State Park beach and cut down corn fields nearby. We were hoping to see Snow Geese and got more than imagined. Well, Laura did as I have seen huge numbers of them before. In the end we must have seen 30 – 40,000 of them, on the ground and in the air.

Below you can see some of the Snow Geese at different levels. The dark goose in the middle with the white head is known as a Blue Phase Snow Goose. Different pigmentation. The other gray geese are this year’s youngsters.

If you look at the goose in the middle of the photo to the left, note its necklace. This is part of the plastic rings for a 6-pack. This goose is lucky so far as the ring is not tight around its neck. However it could get it caught on something and become strangled. (Click to enlarge the photos if needed.)

And in the photo to the right you can see an example of neckwear that is welcome on a goose, put on by a bander. This band has letters and numbers that will identify where it was banded, its age, etc. for wildlife tracking purposes.

Snow Geese in Essex?

Have you ever seen Snow Geese in Essex? Flying overhead? On Lake Champlain? Or perhaps you haven’t seen them close to our home—anywhere else? Share your stories below.

Related Articles

• Wildlife Wednesday: Migrating birds (flickr.net)
• Sleepers (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
• Eve Ticknor’s Boathouse Photos (rosslynredux.com)
• Llama and Turkeys in Essex? (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)