Until this morning, I had not encountered snow geese in Central Missouri this fall. While I have seen a couple of flocks of greater white-fronted geese, their showy cousins have mostly stayed to our north, congregating at refuges such as Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge (formerly Squaw Creek NWR) in Northwest Missouri (60,000 were recently observed there).
Finally, at about 8:45 this morning, a flock of 90 snow geese passed over Columbia, heading ESE. It was a clear, cool morning and their wavering lines were easy to spot against the deep blue sky. As always, it was an inspiring sight.
After breeding on the Arctic tundra, these magnificent travelers head for wintering grounds along the lower Mississippi Valley and northwestern Gulf Coast. An abundance of food in crop fields has slowed their autumn migration in recent decades and some never reach their former destinations. As long as they pass over our region (or, preferably, stop by to rest and refuel), I am more than satisfied.
