Enormous flock of Snow Geese reported in Nazareth

Adult Snow Goose

It's not uncommon to see flocks of Snow Geese at this time of year. But last Sunday's sighting of an estimated 100,000 Snow Geese at Nazareth Quarry in Northampton County was a spectacle never seen before locally.

It's not just the huge numbers. The cacophony of honking probably would have drowned out any excavation work being done by Eastern Industries Inc., which owns the quarry. 

The loud birds are not solitary creatures. They seem most comfortable in the company of a few dozen of their species. These small flocks in turn can merge into bigger flock of tens of thousands of geese.

Last Sunday's flock apparently was the biggest ever seen in the Lehigh Valley. The greatest number recorded previously was 30,000 geese seen in the winter of 2005-2006, according to Birds of the Lehigh Valley and Vicinity. That sighting also happened to occur at the Nazareth Quarry.

Black wing tips are noticeable in flight

A ban on hunting seems to have been the salvation of the Snow Goose. By 1900 their numbers had dwindled to 2,000 to 3,000 species, according to the National Audubon Society. 

Hunting ceased in 1916. Once the geese became accustomed to feeding on agricultural fields during the winter, their numbers surged. They became common in the Lehigh Valley starting in the 1980s. They are now among the most abundant waterfowl on the continent. 

Snow Geese are migratory. Their breeding area is the northernmost stretches of Canada, from the Northwest Territories to the Nunavut Territory around Baffin Island. The geese have flourished to such an extent that they pose a threat to the ecosystem of the Canadian tundra. Hunting was allowed again in 1975.

On the ground, their bodies appear nearly white, with their only other distinguishing features being their short black wingtips and a "grin patch," which looks as though they have black lips. But when the geese take to the sky, those black wingtips become very pronounced and quite striking.

Two "Blue Geese" are visible at lower left

Among the flock, you may see birds with a darker body and a white head. That's a color variant known as the "Blue Goose." The dark color is controlled by a single dominant gene. If a pure dark goose mates with a white goose, all of the offspring will be dark. If two white geese mate, their offspring always will be white.

Snow Geese forage mostly by walking in shallow water or on land. 

More information about Snow Geese is available on our December 2, 2016, posting.

The sighting on December 18 in Nazareth was reported to Dave DeReamus of the Eastern PA Birdline, of the Eastern PA Birdline, which is sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society. Other species seen during the week ended December 23 include:

Williams Township, Northampton County

Rough-legged Hawk, 1 on December 17 (fly-by).

Beltzville State Park, Carbon County

Snow Bunting, an estimated 60 to at least December 20.

Peace Valley Park, Bucks County

Greater White-fronted Goose, 1 to at least December 22.

Cackling Goose, up to 6 at least to December 22.

Red-throated Loon, 1 to at least December 20.

Red-breasted Nuthatches continue to be reported from several sites during the week.

A little farther afield, a group of Red Crossbills was seen in the Owl Creek Reservoir along Owl Creek Road, east of Tamaqua in Schuylkill County.

Don't forget that the Christmas Bird County is scheduled for Saturday, December 31, for the Bethlehem/Easton/Hellertown area. To participate call organizers Don and Elaine Mease at 610-346-7754. You must enroll to join this annual event.

To report bird sightings to Dave DeReamus, send an e-mail to becard@rcn.com with the word "Birdline" in the subject heading.

Snow Goose

"Watching huge flocks of Snow Geese swirl down from the sky, amid the cacophony of honking, is a little like standing inside a snow globe."

That is the first impression that the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology gives when describing Snow Geese. And so true that depiction is.

A Snow Goose is a medium-sized goose with a white body and black tipped wings. The thick bill is pink with a dark line along it, giving it a "smiling patch." In large flocks, you also may see a dark morph or "Blue Goose."

Snow Geese prefer to travel in the company of a couple of dozen other Snow Geese and can form flocks of several hundred thousand. They are found in agricultural fields, especially corn fields after harvest. Also look for them in lakes, ponds and marshes.

One year in mid-winter, we walked around Merrill Creek Reservoir, which was filled with Snow Geese. At one point, hundreds suddenly took off in our direction. The sound of their beating wings and honks skimmed across the water toward us as if amplified by a megaphone. It was an exciting experience that will always stay with us.

Snow Geese breed in northern Canada. Within three weeks of hatching, goslings may walk 50 miles to a more suitable brood-rearing area.

The geese feed on grasses, sedges, rushes, forms, horsetails, shrubs and willows. They consume any part of the plant: stems, seeds, leaves, tubers and roots. Food passes through their digestive tracts in only an hour or two, generating six to 15 droppings per hour. This rate is highest when they are feeding on high-fiber rhizomes as they always consume mud at the same time.

Nestlings are at risk from gulls, foxes, bears, Common Ravens and Snowy Owls. Adults may be hunted by eagles, foxes, wolves and bears, more so during the breeding season.

In wintering flocks that are feeding, lookouts keep an eye our for predators. When a threat is seen, they call out to the rest of the flock, which may take flight.