For the Birds: The Snow Geese are Coming - 70,000 strong

Snow Geese coming in for a landing.  Photo by Ray Hamlyn.

By Christine Southwick

The Snow Geese are Coming! The Snow Geese are Coming!

Snow Geese have begun returning to their wintering grounds in the Skagit Valley, mostly near Fir Island, after having completed their summer breeding on the Russian island of Wrangel. Snow Geese are a North American species, with both lesser (western), and Greater (eastern) subspecies, all of which breed in various parts of the Arctic Tundra. They will continue to arrive for a couple of months, and stay until about March,

The rich farmlands of Skagit County support the winter flocks.
Photo by Steven Mlodinow

The rich farmland in Skagit County supports approximately 70,000 to 90,000 Snow Geese in their large wintering and migration flocks. It’s a treat to see these white geese with black under-wing tips land in nearby farm fields.

A Snow Goose usually forms a life-long pair bond in its second year, and starts raising its annual three to five goslings in its third year. The females are highly philopatric, meaning that they return to their hatching grounds to breed their young. The babies leave the nest and start feeding themselves within hours of hatching, but stay under their parents’ protection for the next two to three years.

Snow Geese, being herbivores, forage by using their sharp beaks to pick up seeds and rip vegetation from the ground. They are very vocal and can be heard more than a mile away from where they are foraging.

A Blue Goose.  Photo by Doug Parrott.

Occasionally you will see what is called a Blue Goose, which is the dark morph of the Snow Goose (both names come from their plumage). Both phases of Snow Geese have a black edge along their bills-it almost looks like someone ran a black crayon between the upper and lower bills. Their legs and feet are rose-colored, but their legs and heads are often stained a rusty-brown from the minerals in the soil. Juveniles have duller legs and bill. Snow Geese often feed with other species of wintering geese, like the Greater White-fronted Goose.

Now that their numbers appear to be stable, Snow Geese, including the Blues, may be hunted between October 15 and January 29 in Washington State, so be aware of your surroundings if you go viewing where hunting is permitted.

The Skagit Valley is a major wintering site for Snow Geese, Trumpeter Swans, and Tundra Swans. It is well worth the trip to go see and hear the flocks. Just remember to pull off the much used rural roads, and respect property rights. Who knows, you might see another white bird—the Snowy Owl.

Christine Southwick is on the Board of the Puget Sound Bird Observatory and is their Winter Urban Color-banding Project Manager. She is a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat Steward, having completed their forty hour class. We're happy that she's sharing her expertise with us about the birds in our backyards.