Date: 03/27/2011

Number: 1

Wow. That doesn't even come close to expressing what happened today from Lancaster to the Quebec border on the St. Lawrence River. Adding up all of the birds (as Tyler Hoar did) this was the largest concentration of Greater Snow Geese ever in Ontario by a factor of almost five and adding in the other birds Tyler saw just inside Quebec, this represents 33% of the entire population of Greater Snow Geese. It will go down as a personal wildlife spectacle milestone and with the beautiful setting on a clear (but brisk) afternoon, it will be very hard to beat. For those who have made the trip to Cap Tourmente east of Quebec City for the spring goose flight, you could have saved your travel money today. Eastern Ontario topped it hands down. This was absolutely incredible.

The largest single group was likely the one present from Lancaster to Westley's Point. I spent the afternoon with other birders/photographers at one spot (out of the brutal wind) where the entire flock could be seen. I have yet to do a good count (digitally) but this alone should be comfortably 80,000+ and more likely well over 100,000 going as far as the eye could see. In flight the group was so massive that you couldn't get the entire flock in one shot. It took about four and much of it was at a distance. Rather than relocating from place to place to check out other areas, we could get our fill of the birds without moving because they rested on the ice edge for most of the afternoon, occasionally lifting off then returning.

At one point a lead opened up in the ice along the shore and the gap widened very quickly. This soon became an ice flow taking thousands of birds with it. They rode for a while (Snow Geese love riding ice flows) then returned.

Lancaster, ON

Latitude: 45.1 Longitude: -74.5

Observed by:
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