Wildlife, landscape and weather photography
I’m not going to count all those white dots but there is probably close to a couple hundred of them. While out on the plains of Colorado Saturday I heard a big racket that was far different from the more common Canada geese we usually see here. Looking up, I saw this massive flock of snow geese, heading north to their summer homes on the Arctic tundra. Along the Colorado Front Range we usually only see these guys during migration but they are quite common elsewhere.
While the images aren’t anything extraordinary, it was kind of a fun thing to see. As I was hanging out at a local pond, I noticed an American white pelican about to land. Following it, a smaller, white bird. This struck me as quite unusual so I continued to track the pair as they circled and landed.
The smaller bird was a snow goose and it seemed to have decided to hang out with the pelican for the day. Snow geese only come to Colorado during migration so it likely soon left for areas north but it was neat to see this odd couple together.
Out for my photo drive Sunday, I saw a huge flock of white birds coming toward me. Training my lens on them, I saw that they were snow geese.
This is the time of year they migrate through Colorado so it wasn’t surprising. There had to have been 80+ of them so it was pretty neat.
Unfortunately they didn’t land where I could see them but I got some nice captures of their formation. They will eventually make their way to the far northern reaches of Canada and Alaska for breeding season.
Can you pick out the oddball goose? 😉
I happened across a big flock of geese in a field in northern Colorado a few days ago. Normally I wouldn’t pay it any attention as the Canada Geese are so common, and indeed, somewhat overwhelming at times. However, there was one goose in particular that didn’t quite fit with the flock – a Snow Goose.
While we do see these here during migration, most don’t hang around long. Apparently this guy decided he liked the company of the Canadians better than his own kind.
I don’t know that I have ever seen so many of these gorgeous, white geese as I have this year. Most of the state, save for the southeastern part, only sees them during migration. Unlike the ever-present Canada Goose, these are less common here. In recent weeks I have seen many large groups of them flying overhead and hanging out at area lakes.
Alright, here’s your homework for the day: Tell me how many geese are in this image. 😀
During the winter and spring, the Colorado plains are home to an incredible number of Canada Geese. This image captures maybe a quarter of one of a series of groups that came in and landed at Barr Lake State Park this past week.
Most are Canada Geese but you do see some white ones in there which are likely Snow Geese or Ross’s Geese.
Snow Geese don’t spend much time in Colorado, only coming through in the early fall and late winter as they migrate. Last week I was at one of their stopover points, a lake northeast of Denver. They unfortunately kept their distance but that allowed me to capture images showing just how many there were. There had to be thousands of them and they were quite loud.
Northeast of Denver yesterday I watched huge masses of geese take flight. Wave after wave passed over, many landing in the nearby fields in such huge numbers they darkened the landscape. Most were Canada Geese but interspersed among them were small numbers of Snow Geese that stood out from the more dominant dark birds with their snow white plumage.
Here in Colorado, some Canada Geese are present year-round but during the winter their numbers swell as many migrate here for the colder months. Most locals tend to dismiss them and pay them little attention and oftentimes view them with disdain as they can be overwhelming (especially their poop!).
Snow Geese on the other hand only stop briefly while migrating to and from their summer homes at the farthest north reaches of North America. Few stay in Colorado for any length of time so it is a bit more unusual and fun to see their gorgeous white forms when they fly over.
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