Snow Geese

BM
Brian Morin
Fri, Nov 3, 2023 6:59 PM

We have not seen any locations with large numbers, 25-50,000, but there are
several with 1-4,000 birds. The go to area in years past was the sod farm
adjacent to the Lafleche landfill on Lafleche Rd off Hwy 138 east of
Casselman. I had about 2300 there the other day, most far from the highway.
The bonus there is that you can check the gulls, overwhelmingly Herring, a
handful of Great Black-backs and between 100-200 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
on a good day, as long as the gulls are on the ground. Ring-billed are
absent.

Roads south of the dump near the Moose Creek Lagoons may have birds. There
are usually geese on the water but they are not visible and the site is
heavily fenced. Continue west then head north at the next main road and
continue.

North of Hwy 417 between Casselman and St. Isidore the concessions may have
geese in harvested corn fields as well as at or near the St. Isidore
lagoons.

The Winchester area does have geese. When not on the municipal lagoons,
some will be in town at the dairy lagoons. Geese only use the lagoons to
rest and for safety at night. They feed on either short grass around the
berms or in harvested corn fields. If these flocks have many blue morphs,
then the flocks are likely composed largely of Lesser Snow Geese, blue and
white. The percentage of blues in the Greater subspecies is very low.

In all flocks check for a Ross's Goose or perhaps a White-fronted.

Brian Morin

We have not seen any locations with large numbers, 25-50,000, but there are several with 1-4,000 birds. The go to area in years past was the sod farm adjacent to the Lafleche landfill on Lafleche Rd off Hwy 138 east of Casselman. I had about 2300 there the other day, most far from the highway. The bonus there is that you can check the gulls, overwhelmingly Herring, a handful of Great Black-backs and between 100-200 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on a good day, as long as the gulls are on the ground. Ring-billed are absent. Roads south of the dump near the Moose Creek Lagoons may have birds. There are usually geese on the water but they are not visible and the site is heavily fenced. Continue west then head north at the next main road and continue. North of Hwy 417 between Casselman and St. Isidore the concessions may have geese in harvested corn fields as well as at or near the St. Isidore lagoons. The Winchester area does have geese. When not on the municipal lagoons, some will be in town at the dairy lagoons. Geese only use the lagoons to rest and for safety at night. They feed on either short grass around the berms or in harvested corn fields. If these flocks have many blue morphs, then the flocks are likely composed largely of Lesser Snow Geese, blue and white. The percentage of blues in the Greater subspecies is very low. In all flocks check for a Ross's Goose or perhaps a White-fronted. Brian Morin