Date: 03/29/2018

Number: 1

Submitted by Don Davis:

Brian Morin reports from extreme eastern Ontario near the border with Quebec on an amazing spring spectacle - migration of tens of thousands of snow geese heading to Arctic nesting grounds:

Thursday's total was estimated at over 175,000. It is possible that over 200,000 were in the area but time did not permit checking further east where additional birds
were being sighted. This is over 20% of the entire population. This is the
second highest total following the massive flock of about 400,000 that appeared between South Lancaster and the Quebec border in 2011, with the
same area at Westley's Point being the focus. Ontario's Greater Snow Geese are from the splinter flock
that leaves western New York State south of Lake Ontario then flies, usually in a single day for the most part, down the St. Lawrence, stopping in the east while others head straight into Quebec.We checked cornfields north of Lancaster between Concessions 2 and 7 and found
various sized flocks after much searching (white birds on a mottled white and brown landscape are practically invisible) but we did not see all of the birds which must have spread far and wide. Some are bearing yellow neck bands with letters and numbers i.e. RR 82. These are mostly females that have been marked for identification in an ongoing study.

Summerstown, ON

Latitude: 45.1 Longitude: -74.5

Observed by: Donald A.
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