One of the most amazing experiences of my life.

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Today I went on a birding tour called the Snow Goose Chase. It was absolutely incredible. We saw lots of various water foul which were great but there were two experiences that were amazing.

First we saw a flock of Sandhill Cranes just as they were lifting off to catch the warm air currents on their way to Alaska. There were about 3000 of them and their calls filled the air. I’ve never seen them before and it was so exciting to see and hear them.

The next awesome thing we saw is one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

The Snow Geese

I wasn’t actually looking all that forward to them and was totally unaware of just what stunning beauty was awaiting me. There were scouts ahead radioing back to our bus and we got the call that they found a flock so off we went.

I just really can’t adequately describe what I saw but I’ll try. First I saw a white lake, white because they completely filled it. On the lake the guide told us that there were about 100 thousand Snow Geese. The lake was surrounded by rolling hills, which were also white. Then, looking up I realized I was under a canopy of almost pure white. The sky was blue and it looked like someone had taken a blue canvas and sprinkled it with white paint. As far as I could see, left and right, the sky was full of Snow Geese. The guide told us that we were looking at about a quarter million Snow Geese. They were on their way to Russia.

It was like a movie. Like being in an Imax movie. It was so awe inspiring, and so moving that it I had to blink back tears. And the sound. The roaring euphony was incredibly moving. The guide said he hadn’t seen that many in the 8 years he’s been doing the tours.

I’ll never forget it. :slight_smile:

2

I can’t even imagine that.

3

Where was this tour? The Snow Geese winter here along the Mississippi River and they are real pain in the ass.

I see 100 acre field after 100 acre field filled with these geese. There is a slough nearby where a friend has a cabin for duck hunting. They “roost” at night in this area. There is a weird buzz of geese sounds at night. Loud, very Loud.

4

the Canadian breeding grounds for geese are threatened by large populations of geese. serious danger to the total population will occur if the breeding grounds are over eaten and seriously damaged.

5

We saw them come to a lake in Nebraska once. We were just standing there and noticed this weird writhing cloud in the sky. It got closer and closer. I realized it was geese! They came down to the lake swirling like a white tornado. Amazing.

6

That sounds pretty fantastic. I’ve experienced flyovers of snow geese flocks, but never in those numbers. I was at the Salton Sea when a couple of hundred flew right over me–maybe 50 feet above my head. The weird and wonderful thing about it was that they weren’t honking; it was almost silent except for the sound of their wings.

7

Both are pretty tasty, but I don’t figure the Snow Goose Chase included shotguns.

8

That does sound amazing.