Sunday, March 6, 2011

Snow Geese at Middle Creek WMA

I am linking  up Mosaic Monday. Please visit and check out all the wonderful mosaic's at Mary's Little Red House.

Yesterday hubby and I joined a couple of my birding friends on a daytrip to Middle Creek WMA to see the Snow Geese. It was a foggy morning to start off but the fog lifted and it turned out to be a great day of birding. I believe the Snow Geese count was estimated around 80,000. The Snow Geese are an amazing sight to see and hear so many at one time. Along with the Snow Geese we also saw Tundra Swans, Canada Geese, Ringed Neck ducks, American Wigeons, American Black ducks, Gadwalls, Pintails, Mallards, adult Bald Eagle and a juvenile Eagle. Best of all was a Rough Legged hawk which was a lifer for me. It was a very cool viewing of this hawk hovering over a field not far from our car.




 This is just a small amount of the Snow geese we saw at the Middle Creek WMA.



Below are the Tundra Swan and Canada geese. The feathers floating on top of the water look like snow.


The ducks below are far left the Gadwall, American Wigeon has the white stripe on its head , next maybe a female Wigeon and in the back is the Canada Goose and far back on the right is a Ring Neck Duck

Below a not so good photo of my lifer the Rough Legged hawk. But it is good enough to help with the id.




It was a great day of birding and spending time with my friends. I hope you enjoyed my Snow Geese post. Please visit Mary's Mosaic Monday for more wonderful mosaics and photos.

Thanks to Mary for hosting and thanks for stopping by my blog. Have a great week!


41 comments:

  1. That must have been a tremendous day out Eileen to see 80,000 Snow Geese plus all the other birds. I like your Rough-legged Hawk shot - as you say perfect for ID purposes, especially as I have yet to see one in the UK where they are known as Rough-legged Buzzard and visit us from Northern Europe

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  2. Y'all had a very success day birding! Now that is a bunch of geese. I think your photo of the Rough-legged Hawk is more than good enough. Isn't it just dandy to add a bird to your Life List?

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  3. How exciting to see so many different birds in one place. I love all your photos of the snow geese but your header shot is my favorite.

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  4. I can almost hear the sound of all those geese.THis is quite a sight to see.Thanks for sharing these images.

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  5. You take such magnificent pictures. These are no exception! Thank you! Thank you, too, for you kind words when you visited! Cathy

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  6. There are so many ducks, they must be very noisy.

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  7. Brilliant photos Eileen. I was just saying on another blog that I have never seen flocks of Snow Geese like this. What an incredible sight.

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  8. Those are awesome sights! Can't imagine seeing that many geese in one place! Wonderful!

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  9. There was a photo of some kind of geese in our newspaper this morning. How awe inspiring it must be to experience this in person! Congratulations on seeing that hawk.

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  10. Wow, you sure saw lots of birds not even counting the 80,000 snow geese!

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  11. Looks like you hit the jackpot! What a great outing!!

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  12. Wow, Eileen ... just magical ... the water and the birds twinkle!!!!

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  13. Love your post on the Geese, great captures! So many of them!

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  14. Spectacular display and sightings. Thanks for posting your link address in Mary's comments. Mine's up at memeplay.blogspot.com.

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  15. Beautiful mosaic! Have a good week.

    podso

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  16. Hi Eileen, All I can say is WOW. I've never seen that many birds in one place like that before. Unbelievable...

    Thanks so much for sharing such a great group of birds.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  17. Wow Eileen, what a splendid sight to see all those snow geese!! Thank you for sharing and sounds like it was a great day with friends. Jackie in Surrey, UK.

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  18. lovely subjects for mosaic and nice view too.. The swans are pretty!

    mine is here

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  19. Beautiful ! that I call a feathered meeting !

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  20. Eileen,

    What wonderful photographs. I don't think I have ever seen Snow Geese. We have Canadian Geese and Loons on the lake and an occasional eagle. I haven't gotten any good photos of them yet.

    Have a great week.

    Carol

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  21. What amazing scenes. Your header shot is fabulous. 80,000 WOW! I've never seen anything like that except on docos.

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  22. Oh wow that must have been absolutely wonderful to see. Beautiful birds. Great mosaic.

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  23. Great post, Eileen! How I envy you to see all those birds! Love your header - Snow Geese taking to the air must be a sight to behold!

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  24. I am trying to let myself see all that you could see...amazing! What an awesome sight! Great photos! This is one of the wonderful advantages of blogging...seeing photos of something you will never see! Hugs! ♥

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  25. Me Again Eileen, I wanted to send you an email--but don't seem to have your email address... Anyhow--thanks for telling me about the Pine Warbler... I have never seen one ---and you are RIGHT... My new birds are Pine Warblers. I put a correction on my blog... Thanks SO much.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  26. Now that's a gaggle of geese. Several gaggles, probably. What a fantastic sight.

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  27. Eileen! What a glorious sight that would have been! I can imagine the sound the call of the geese as they take flight and fly over you!
    Wow what a sight!

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  28. Hi Eileen, Exceptionally nice pictures! I always learn something from your blog. Those Snow Geese are beautiful as are the Canada Geese. We have the Canada Geese here on our lake as well as some of the ducks you mention. Have a wonderful day today!

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  29. great shots. I can´t match those even if I wanted. :( I saw the first 2, say 2, greylag goose today.

    But I love your header, please keep it a long time. It is a masterpiece.

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  30. Oh great shots and great mosaic! The Snow Geese have been coming over the house en masse for the last few weeks. Lovely to hear them and look up and see them so high in the sky!
    Congrats on your hawk! Sounds like it was quite a day!

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  31. Fantastic photos! I've never seen so many geese in one place at one time...

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  32. Eileen, what an exciting day. Wish you could have recorded that sound for us! Thanks for the amazing pictures.

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  33. I love it!! The geese are just captivating..but each of these photos of birds in your series are lovely Eileen- how fortunete to be able to see this..the sky is really cool and just adds flavor with the soft silhouette of trees (almost like the Orient)..really enjoyed this!

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  34. What a marvellous spectacle of the Mother Nature! Thank you for sharing it with your beautiful photos! Have a great week!

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  35. Wow Eileen, you sure are lucky. I know that feeling, as I managed to get similar shots, but with migrating seagulls. I was beside myself with joy!
    Rosie

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  36. Wow, what a fantastic sight to see! You got some wonderful photos!

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  37. Wonderful shots! Congrats on the rough-legged lifer!

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  38. I enjoyed all of your photos from Middle Creek. I like to go there at least once in late winter/early spring of each year and again in the autumn. It is truly a special place.

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  39. Eileen -- it has been too long since i have stopped by.

    What perfect day for me to do this!

    Your mosaic is perfect...but the shots of your birds are so wonderful.

    What a lovely place.

    Thanks!

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