I spent Saturday at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Klinefeltersville, PA photographing Snow Geese and Tundra Swans. Right now the Snow Geese transient population is estimated to be somewhere between 40,000 to 50,000 birds at the WMA but their numbers are expected to swell to aroudn 100,000 to 125,000 by the second week of March as the Geese return to their northern homes and make a brief rest stop at the Middle Creek.
The sound of the Geese on the Willow Point trail is already at a constant low roar. When there are three times as many Geese in a few weeks, it’s going to be pretty honkin’ loud back there. It’s interesting to see the fly-ins and fly-outs that occur and how the shift in ratio of Snow Geese to Canada Geese in any one area of the WMA changes from hour to hour. The Tundra Swans were the most elusive but also the most interesting, hiding behind tree cover in the area closest to Kleinfelstersville Rd.
I also had the chance to photograph some Raptors while I was there including this Red Tail Hawk that circled silently above for about five minutes before moving on over the farm fields in search of small mammals to eat.
Here are two Adult Snow Geese and one White-Morph Juvenile Snow Goose flying over the Willow Point section of the WMA.
