A number of people have wondered about the lack of postings on the annual major flight of Greater Snow Geese, which numbers in the tens of thousands. This is distinct from the ongoing sighting of a small number of Lesser Snow Geese in southern Ontario. The geese pulled a fast one on us. Our birds arrive from western New York state below Lake Ontario with annually about 100,000 leaving there and heading downriver to Quebec. During the flight peak, which is anywhere from mid to late March, about 1/2 to 3/4 stop over in eastern Ontario for a period of time, some for only a day, and others for up to 8 weeks. It used to be in early April years ago. I wonder if the American spring hunt has progressively advanced the departure date in recent years. This year is different from any that I can remember.
Virtually all of the birds have left New York with the major flight going through between March 13-18 or so (we never saw it) despite mid-winter conditions. While portions of the St. Lawrence had opened, there were no open ponds in the counties and the ground had complete snowcover to a depth sufficient to make it impossible to find leftover corn or short grass. Subsequently, small to mid-sized flocks continue to be seen in flight but sporadically and not in any particular location. Most reports were from areas within a few kilometres of the river. There are currently no known locations to observe the birds with certainty and for those so inclined, the Long Sault Parkway remains closed with an unknown reopening date in the spring. So far this year, the flight is almost exclusively a Quebec phenomenon for birders but that may change in April. To my knowledge, this situation has not happened before but knowing that these strong fliers readily move 50 km and more on any given day to head to feeding grounds, I expect that once the snow melts, fields flood (we have a good amount of snow) and ponds open, some birds will wander back from southwestern Quebec. Brian Morin Please note this e-mail for contact brianlmo...@gmail.com _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
