They are coming......
Sep 21, 2017 20:23:30 #
Snow Geese will soon be arriving in our part of the Pacific Flyway. Thousands will overwinter in the Sacramento Valley. It starts with a few, but by December it will be quite a show. This is a good time of the year for me! These are from recent seasons. Please try the downloads.
Phil
Phil
Sep 21, 2017 20:37:07 #
Great work. There's something fascinating about large groups of birds in flight with wings in different positions in a split second.
Sep 21, 2017 20:54:11 #
Sep 21, 2017 21:00:55 #
We get a lot of them around here going south but the big gathering of the snow geese and tundra swans is in late winter when they are headed north. The Atlantic flyway passes over eastern PA. Last March there were over 80,000 snow geese and thousands of tundra swans, at Middle Creek wildlife management area in East central Pennsylvania, on one of the days I went to take pics.
Sep 21, 2017 21:07:03 #
davefales wrote:
Great work. There's something fascinating about large groups of birds in flight with wings in different positions in a split second.
There's also something exhilarating but frightening when 50 thousand of them take off simultaneously and fly directly over your head, circle around and land again. Be sure to have a hood on your lens and be wearing a hat.
Sep 21, 2017 21:36:20 #
Sep 21, 2017 21:58:18 #
Very nice photos Phil. I have seen huge flocks as far as the eye can see at the Delevan National Wildlife Refuge along I-5 in the Sacramento Valley and it's a sight to see.
Thanks for posting.
Thanks for posting.
Sep 22, 2017 00:26:35 #
davefales wrote:
Great work. There's something fascinating about large groups of birds in flight with wings in different positions in a split second.
Thanks for the visit and kind words.
Phil
Sep 22, 2017 00:29:07 #
DickC wrote:
Nice capture, thanks!! 
Hi Dick, you are welcome and thank you!
Regards, Phil
Sep 22, 2017 00:49:35 #
rmorrison1116 wrote:
There's also something exhilarating but frightening when 50 thousand of them take off simultaneously and fly directly over your head, circle around and land again. Be sure to have a hood on your lens and be wearing a hat.
Thanks for the visit. I enjoy hearing stories and viewing images of activity on the Atlantic Flyway. Yes it is exhilarating to be near a large flock when they start. The sound and air movement they create is almost visceral to witness. I would never cause it but I must admit I enjoy the moment when it happens. I appreciate your comment rmorrison.
Phil
Sep 22, 2017 00:51:24 #
Swamp-Cork wrote:
Very nice, Phil and can almost hear them! Take care!
Hi Corkey! Thanks, me too. Where the heck did summer go?
Phil
Sep 22, 2017 01:06:17 #
flyguy wrote:
Very nice photos Phil. I have seen huge flocks as far as the eye can see at the Delevan National Wildlife Refuge along I-5 in the Sacramento Valley and it's a sight to see.
Thanks for posting.
Thanks for posting.
Hi Guy, thanks for kind words and visit. Delevan is between (Willows to the north and Colusa to the south) my two favorite birding spots. All are part of the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge plus several smaller areas, many thousands of acres of critical wetlands habitat. Delevan is heavily hunted but the other areas no hunting and very accessible to photography. These shots were all taken at the Willows Refuge. I'm looking forward to a new migratory birding season.
Phil
Sep 22, 2017 03:21:24 #
Sep 22, 2017 06:44:40 #
Sep 22, 2017 09:50:35 #
rockdog wrote:
Hi Corkey! Thanks, me too. Where the heck did summer go?
Phil
Phil
Phil, that reminds me of the old saying, "time really flies when you are having fun" and think at our age we can shorten it to the first three words!......... The snow geese really are beautiful birds and when I've sighted something like that it really lifts my spirit, as I told my wife Ellen yesterday, after sighting two beautiful pileated woodpeckers, which make regular trips to a black gum tree at this time of the year evidently to feed on their dark colored berries! At first I could hardly see them because of the leaves but, oh that sound, as they loudly called to each other and then continued to communicate as they flew to a more visible site near the top of a black walnut tree. I watched them take a position on the opposite sides of the trunk and after several minutes they flew back to the gum tree still loudly calling-- things such as these should make a person grateful to still be alive! Take care, Corky
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