snow geese pea island | Best Life Birding- Birdwatching Tours

By: Sally Siko

Check out this Snow Goose I encountered this past week while birding at the Pea Island NWR in NC. She’s sporting a bright yellow collar.
Although I photographed many Snow Geese (including this family digging for food in the mud together shown in the subsequent photos) I made sure to capture several photos of this one so that I could report the sighting to the USGS.

Bird banding is important for studying the movement, survival and behavior of birds.
Data from banded birds are used in monitoring populations, setting hunting regulations, restoring endangered species, studying effects of environmental contaminants, and addressing such issues as Avian Influenza, bird hazards at airports, and crop depredations.

If you see a banded bird, try and get a clear photograph of the band or collar.
Then visit www.reportband.gov to submit your sighting to the USGS.
Results from banding studies support national and international bird conservation programs such as Partners in Flight, the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, and Wetlands for the Americas.
This is why it’s so important to report what we’re seeing out there.

Once you’ve submitted your report, you’ll receive a certificate of appreciation from the USGS which will include details about the bird you found which is pretty neat too!

According to the certificate, this goose is a female who hatched over 4 years ago in Quebec Canada.
It’s incredible to think that this bird made it all the way down to North Carolina to spend the winter.
I can certainly understand why though because the Pea Island NWR is a special place. One that I always look forward to returning each year as well 🙂

The Snow Geese know what’s good!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

One of my favorite moments during the Pea Island NWR birding trip was finding these Snow Geese on the shoreline of the South Pond.
After no sightings of these beauties throughout the morning, I’d just about given up hope that I’d find some which was kind of disappointing. Still, we all had seen some lovely birds that day so it wasn’t a major let down.
Later that day, I was enjoying the Northern Shovelers with my guests when in the distance, a large flock of birds caught my eye as they came in for a landing.
They appeared as tiny specks on the horizon but as soon as I put my 600mm lens on the flock, I instantly knew that finally the Greater Snow Geese had arrived!
I quickly gathered up the group and we drove a little further south to where I’d seen the birds touch down.

Wow! It was so worth it to drive a few minutes because when we pulled off of the road to get a better look, we found a couple hundred of the Geese foraging in the mudflats right next to the hyway.
It was absolutely thrilling to be so close to these gorgeous birds and better still, to see how happy the group was with this encounter!

The Greater Snow Goose is a wintertime visitor to the coastal regions of North Carolina and are often found in great numbers (by the thousands!) at the Pungo Unit, Lake Mattamuskeet and right here at the Pea Island NWR.
Interestingly, only one population of Greater Snow Geese exists in the world. In addition, the species movements as a whole is almost entirely confined to the Atlantic flyway of North America.
Greater Snow Geese breed in the Canadian High Arctic, and on the western coast of Greenland. This makes the Greater Snow Goose one of the most northerly breeding geese in the world.

They will only be here in N.C. through late March before they make the trip north again so it’s likely that you’ll have to wait until January too see them again 🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
#5Ds