Mae and Bill Mayville and I had a great morning at Dead Creek today...and we were sorry you weren’t there to enjoy it with us. At day break at the viewing area, the snow geese were impressive! A large flock was seen near the pond at the far end of the corn field. It was hard to get a sense of how many there were as they melded together into one large snow bank. Soon there were large snow squalls appearing from the east. Sailing over Snake Mountain, they glided, swirled, twisted and dipped their way to the fields adjacent to Sunset Lane, creating a blanket of fresh snow. It brought back fond memories of past years when tens of thousands would be seen in the skies, coming (it seemed) from all directions, flock after flock after flock. Although today’s event was only a fraction of the totals seen in years past, it was just as beautiful. We settled on an estimate of 2,500. A few hours later at Arnold Bay, we met some birders from western Massachusetts that had been to the viewing area shortly after us. They estimated the flock to be 3,000.

Other highlights were a Merlin perched on a fence post with his breakfast, an occasional Pipit and Horned Lark flying over, and a Killdeer calling.

Thanks Mae and Bill for a fun day!

Ali
Huntington