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Snow Geese In Flight For Skywatch Friday

Snow Geese In Flight Over Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

It is so amazing to watch the Snow Geese as they arrive in the California Sacramento Valley as they have for thousands of years.  The Sacramento National Wildlfie Refuge Complex are islands in a sea of agriculture that represent the single  most important wintering area for waterfowl along the Pacific Flyway.

The Snow Goose as well as ducks and swans migrate here by the millions from as far away as the Arctic regions of Alaska, Canada and Siberia, where they breed on the arctic tundra.  They travel in high-flying flocks that may number in the hundreds.  You can hear them from far away as their voices fill the air until you can actually see them in their typical V formations flying high overhead.

Their courtship displays and pairing, however, take place right here at the refuges during the goose’s second spring migration.  There are many areas in the U.S. this behavior can be witnessed as the waterfowl travel all four major flyways, the Pacific, Central, Missippi, and Atlantic Flyways.

I hope that every single one of you has the opportunity to witness this amazing yearly event during your lifetime.  It is truly a beauty to behold.

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • ramblingwoods January 29, 2009, 1:18 pm

    Thank you for the information on the major flyways as I didn’t know about them. The photos are just so pretty with the birds against the blue sky..Happy SW

  • East Gwillimbury WOW! January 29, 2009, 1:40 pm

    I hope one day to watch birds fly over Point Pelee on Lake Erie!

    East Gwillimbury WOW!s last blog post..Change in the Weather/ Sky Watch

  • Rune January 29, 2009, 3:29 pm

    Thanks for informative post, very beautiful photo!

    Runes last blog post..SkyWatch 10

  • Kathiesbirds January 29, 2009, 4:32 pm

    I did not know that snow geese fly in a V formation like Canada geese. I have seen them at Bosque del Apache in NM and Whitewater Draw in AZ. It was wonderful. You got some very nice photos.

    Kathiesbirdss last blog post..Skywatch Friday: Winter Sunset

  • Janie of Utah January 29, 2009, 6:42 pm

    Wow, these are beautiful, perfect in-flight photos.

  • Larry January 29, 2009, 11:04 pm

    @Ramblingwoods thanks for your comment and thanks for informing us via the rather disturbing post on your site on European Starlings

    @EG I believe Point Pelee National Park of Canada has a huge migratory songbird population in the spring and is located on one of the principal routes of the Atlantic Flyway! You need to go see it!

    @Rune thanks for the comment and your gorgeous contribution to SWF

    @Kathie glad you like them, they are beautiful to watch. I love your fiery sky too.

    @Janie thank you for the wonderful comment and for bringing one of my favorite Beatles songs into my head

  • Amy January 29, 2009, 11:34 pm

    Oh my gosh, what a sight! That first photo is amazing, I hope to see such a flock someday!

    Amys last blog post..Funny Google auto-complete suggestions

  • Tink *~*~* January 30, 2009, 8:49 am

    Hey there, that’s a huge gaggle o’ geese in the first photo – don’t think I’ve ever seen quite that many all in a clump like that. I’ve always seen them in the V formation. When I lived in NY on Long Island, a major migration pitstop turned into a year-round resort for the Canadian geese. There were fruitful and multiplied and now they are in pest status, there are so many of them. Not sure what, if anything, Long Island intends to do about them.

    Doo, doo, doo, lookin’ out my back door at the SKY!

    Tink *~*~*

    Tink *~*~*s last blog post..Drink Recipe

  • ESNORWAY January 30, 2009, 12:22 pm

    Good pics and birds. have nice SWF weekend

    ESNORWAYs last blog post..Sky Watch Friday #28

  • Lew January 31, 2009, 10:49 am

    Great shot of geese in flight! We have Canada geese here in Maryland. I posted photos on lewspics and <a href=”http://lewsotherpics.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-world-tuesday-visitors-from-canada.html”lewsotherpics.

    Lews last blog post..PhotoHunt – Furry creatures

  • Manz January 31, 2009, 5:13 pm

    I would love to have the opportunity to witness this in “the flesh”. However, these images are a pleasure to view until that day comes.

    I like this selection of photos for this post – the first giving you a sense of the scale of the migration, and the other the incredible V formation.

    Manzs last blog post..Jonesy’s Wild Ways…

  • Becky February 1, 2009, 4:20 am

    Hi Larry
    Thanks for stopping by my blog.
    I love your Snow geese photo. I’ve not seen any in my area, although it’s possible they could make a stop at the penninsula on Presque Isle in Erie, Penna. We go there frequently to take pictures. My passion is Tundra Swans. They migrate through our area, but I can only see them at a great distance whoo whooing as they pass high over head.
    I’d like to visit your blog again. I have been an avid bird watcher for many years, and am always looking for folks with the same interest that might have different species.
    How long have you been working in X-ray?
    Have a great Sunday. We are supposed to get above freezing today! First time in many weeks..
    B.

    Beckys last blog post..Camera Critters

  • Larry February 1, 2009, 10:13 am

    @Amy thank you. I hope you get to witness this too

    @EsNorway thanks for stopping by with a comment

    @Lew thanks for the compliment. I love your “Geese in Flight” photos and your series of “Winter Skies” should be in Sky Watch Fridays… great series of sky shots!

    @Manz I know you will see this sometime. Thanks for the great comment

    @Becky thanks for the great comments! I have a Tundra Swan photo up on my Flickr site that I took down at the Cosumnes River Reserve here.

    I have been working in Xray only 12 years. One year in CT and now about 10 years in Interventional Radiology. I love it.

  • fishing guy February 2, 2009, 5:26 am

    Larry: Beautifully done, those are some wonderful captures. I saw one this year and was trilled.

    fishing guys last blog post..Today’s Flowers