March 14, 2025
Skagit River delta, Washington
As part of a Western Washington Wild Goose two-fer, following up on BrownsBay’s Brant geese showcased in yesterday’s Bucket, I’ll share a Snow geese sighting from a week ago a bit north on Fir Island, an agricultural flatland between the North and South Forks of the Skagit river. Soon enough all these winter geese will be migrating up to the Arctic for the season.
Overall, the Snow goose numbers were down this winter on the Skagit delta. Usually there’s at least one giant flock to see on the fields somewhere, and by giant I mean many thousands. But in my half a dozen visits this winter, most days the geese were hanging out offshore on Skagit bay, occasionally flying over. I saw far more swans than geese. Interestingly, it was late in the season when I saw them on the fields; the end of hunting season may have had something to do with that. There have also been reports of geese dead from avian flu, which may account for their smaller numbers.
On March 14 we were heading home from Fir island when we saw a moderate sized flock in a field just before the North Fork Skagit River bridge. Finding a place to pull over safely and legally is a challenge on the delta but fortunately there was a wide spot on the side of the river dike. One car was there already, with a tripod set up. We parked and I got out, steadying my camera as best I could on the car roof.
The geese were briskly and steadily grazing a field of fresh greenery, packing in calories. Soon enough they will be off on migration, a 3000-mile journey to Wrangel Island off the northern coast of Siberia.
Wide view of flock on fresh grass
The flock included a fair number of immatures most of the way through molt from grey to white
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At one point another few hundred glided over to join them. I love the sound these geese make en masse.
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The local farmers were probably happy there weren’t as many geese in the fields this year. Many of the 50-100,000 Snow geese (Anser caerulescens caerulescens, the “lesser Snow goose”) who winter here feed on spent potato and corn crops but they also wipe out cover crops, winter rye and wheat, and dairy grazing fields. In the olden days before the Skagit delta estuary was diked and drained for agriculture, the whole region was a mix of fresh and saltwater wetlands and channels where winter geese and other waterfowl fed on native marsh plants. There’s very little of that habitat left now so the birds feed where they can.
The flocks move around from field to field. On this occasion they were spooked by an eagle while we were there and all lifted off simultaneously — always a stunning spectacle — and then returned to resume feeding. Clearly there was more to eat at this site.
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The sound and sight of thousands of geese in flight is spectacular
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Returning to resume grazing
I’m glad I got to see them one last time before they take off for the summer breeding season. The Arctic is one of their homes, and Western Washington flatlands is the other. I will see them again next winter.
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Partly cloudy in the PNW islands today and cool. Light breeze. Daytime temps in the upper 40s, nighttime mid 40s. Rainstorm passed through last night with some thunder to the east.
What’s up in nature in your neighborhood?
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