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| Snow Geese At Willow Point |
Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area on the
Lebanon/Lancaster County line near Kleinfeltersville, Pennsylvania is a
premier spot for birding enthusiasts and outdoor photographers during
the spring waterfowl migration. Of special interest is the peak of the
Snow Geese and Tundra Swan migration as it is a stunning sight to watch a
massive flock of Snow Geese lift off.
This year the
peak of the migration was sometime in late February. I usually wait
until the tour road opens on March 1st before going to Middle Creek so
the peak of the migration was over when I got there on Friday afternoon
March 2nd, with an estimated 20,000 Snow Geese, 5,000 Tundra Swans, and
2,000 Canada Geese remaining according to the March 1st estimate.
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| Tour Road Opened From Dawn-Dusk on March 1st |
While the website states the road is closed from dusk
until dawn it did not open until after 7:30 on the mornings I was there
and one morning it was almost 8:00 until it opened .As you enter the
tour road there is a sign that tells you to tune to 1620 AM for a brief
history of Middle Creek and what to expect to see at this time of year.
As
one continues along the tour road they find signs encouraging you to
respect the small creatures that may be crossing the road and avoid
hitting them.
Middle
creek seemed empty of people compared to what I was used to in
other years. It was amazing that only a few vehicles were on the tour
road in mid-afternoon on March 3rd. This may be because the peak of the
migration was past, but it also was likely influenced by the brutal
winds that were still blowing after a strong front passed through on
Thursday night.
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| Tour Road-Mid-Afternoon Saturday March 3rd |
Things changed a bit shortly after 4:00 p.m. when
geese began landing in and along a plot of standing corn, but even then
most of the flock landed over the brow of the bank where they could not
be seen.
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| Snow Geese Near Road |
I continued around the tour road and returned at
5:00. The late evening sun made dramatic lighting for photography as
some geese arrived while others left.
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| Snow Geese In Late Evening Sun |
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| Snow Geese Landing |
The lighting makes it seem the weather would have
been pleasant when these photos were taken, but the wind was so cold and
brutal that it was hard to remain out of the vehicle for long. The
weather improved over the next few days making it easier to photograph
the waterfowl.
In the next post we will look at some
photos from Willow Point as well as more taken along the tour road and
other areas of Middle Creek.
