The number of snow goose at Middle Creek dropped slightly this week ahead of the wildlife preserve’s celebration this weekend.
A celebration of the site’s conservation heritage and snow goose population will be held tomorrow from 10am to 2pm.
“With snow and rain predicted for the weekend, it is hard to say how this will impact numbers of waterfowl at Middle Creek,” said Middle Creek manager Lauren Ferreri in the update. “As long as we continue to have open water and snow free fields, the geese will most stay close to Middle Creek.”
“If areas to the north of us have snow free fields, the snow geese will continue to move along their migration route.”
If you can’t make it yourself before the geese continue on their journey, you can also check out the livestream.
As of yesterday, the following counts were shared:
- Snow Geese: 65,000
- Tundra Swans: 2,500
- Canada Geese: 2,500
Canada Geese are the only species to increase in number since the previous update on Monday.
Last year, the high count for snow geese was recorded on February 21 with 200,000 snow geese. The high count for tundra swans was 5,500 (February 22) and 7,500 Canada geese (February 15). In 2017, the peak snow geese population recorded was 70,000+ on February 22.
The Game Commission says that icing is the most significant variable determining the arrival of migrating waterfowl. Snow cover and ice buildup limit access to the waste grain that the waterfowl depend on for food.
The Middle Creek interior tour road opens March 1.
Watch this video for more on Middle Creek and the Snow Goose Migration.
