As of today, the snow goose population at Middle Creek is back up to 85,000.
“Snow free fields and open water…. Check!,” wrote Middle Creek manager Lauren Ferreri in the update that announced the highest number of snow goose so far this season.
Middle Creek is beginning to see a greater diversity in ducks as well, including “mallard, American black duck, northern pintail, American wigeon, gadwall, green-winged teal, northern shoveler, ring-necked duck, lesser scaup, hooded merganser, and common merganser.”
A new live stream by Middle Creek puts you in the action. View it here. (Update: The live stream was taken down for a while but is now available again.)
As of today, the following counts were shared:
- Snow Geese: 85,000
- Tundra Swans: 3,500
- Canada Geese: 2,000
Last year, the high count for snow geese was recorded on February 21 with 200,000 snow geese. The high count for tundra swans was 5,500 (February 22) and 7,500 Canada geese (February 15). In 2017, the peak snow geese population recorded was 70,000+ on February 22.
The Game Commission says that icing is the most significant variable determining the arrival of migrating waterfowl. Snow cover and ice buildup limit access to the waste grain that the waterfowl depend on for food.
The Middle Creek interior tour road opens March 1. A conservation heritage and snow goose celebration will be held at Middle Creek on Saturday March 2 from 10am to 2pm.
Watch this video for more on Middle Creek and the Snow Goose Migration.
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