Snow Geese Lift-Off

Running errands a few days ago, I had taken a back road to avoid traffic and came across a flock of Snow Geese behind the Amazon distribution center in Middletown, Delaware. They have been arriving and passing through our mid-Atlantic region for a few weeks now from their breeding grounds on the Canadian and Northern Alaskan tundra.

Snow Geese don’t like to travel without the company of at least another couple dozen geese and can easily form flocks of several hundred thousand.

This was a nice size flock. Many more were dropping in.

Lucky for me, within five minutes, a lift-off occurred.

Thousands of Snow Geese were airborne.

The noise was incredible, even at a distance!

The Snow Geese headed my way. They passed by and over me. The noise was deafening. And exciting!

It’s was as if it were snowing Snow Geese.

Then I heard a splat here and a splat there. Then a bigger splat on the roof of my car. Ewwww…..

It was apparently snowing more than Snow Geese.

I could see the Snow Geese were only heading a short distance and were dropping down again from the sky. I followed over and found them landing on a pond.

Something either startled them to take flight or some of them decided on a whim to fly over to the pond maybe for the evening, so they all followed. I thought the homeowners were pretty lucky for the fly-in. And I was lucky for the lift-off! And to have carried my camera with me. 🙂

Tags: bird watching, birding, Delaware, flight, flock, lift off, nature, photographs, photography, photos, snow geese, wildlife

39 thoughts on “Snow Geese Lift-Off”

avian101 on 12/19/2017 at 10:40 PM said:

Great captures Donna! Isn’t it incredible that they do not bump each other while flying? 🙂

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- bayphotosbydonna on 12/20/2017 at 8:52 AM said:
  
  Thanks HJ, it is incredible!! 🙂
  
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aussiebirder on 12/19/2017 at 11:23 PM said:

Wow Donna what a wonderful unexpected find. It is these special moments that make birding so exciting. Great shots, it is always a buzz when a massive flock take off together. Thanks for sharing these amazing captures. Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year 😊

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- bayphotosbydonna on 12/20/2017 at 8:54 AM said:
  
  Thanks Ashley, it was an awesome time! Many times you can see a flock of them on a field or water, but it’s the lift-offs we go crazy for! 🙂 Happy Holidays to you too!
  
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shutterbug on 12/19/2017 at 11:36 PM said:

It’s amazing isn’t it? I bet you could almost feel the beat of their wings. Great photos!!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 12/20/2017 at 8:56 AM said:
  
  It is! I don’t know whether it was their wings I felt beating or my racing heart! LOL Thanks!
  
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Stephen Talabac on 12/20/2017 at 12:22 AM said:

Great captures Donna! Always an exciting behavior to experience first hand.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 12/20/2017 at 8:58 AM said:
  
  Thanks Steve! Always awesome when you aren’t looking for them. Have you made it to Bombay or Prime Hook yet for the SG? They are there too, I just haven’t had the time to go over to check them out. I’ll take what I can get running my errands! 🙂
  
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niasunset on 12/20/2017 at 4:40 AM said:

WOW! It is amazing and how nice to captured these moments. Thank you dear Donna, Have a nice day, Love, nia

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- bayphotosbydonna on 12/20/2017 at 8:58 AM said:
  
  Thanks Nia, it was a thrill! Have a nice day as well! 🙂
  
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kathydoremus on 12/20/2017 at 7:46 AM said:

Wow is right. And the one overhead picture – all I could think was “I’d hate to do that as a 1,000 piece puzzle!”

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- bayphotosbydonna on 12/20/2017 at 8:59 AM said:
  
  Thanks Kathy! Yeah, that’d be one hard puzzle, lol.
  
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Nick Hunter on 12/20/2017 at 8:26 AM said:

What an amazing experience. I encounter modest flocks of snow geese once a year, if I’m lucky, but never anything like the phenomenon that you captured. Nicely done and thanks for sharing.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 12/20/2017 at 9:02 AM said:
  
  Thanks Nick! Our mid-Atlantic region is fortunate to harbor Snow Geese for the winter. They never stay in one field or body of water long, so the pursuit to find them ensues for the birders. 🙂
  
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Ellen Jennings on 12/20/2017 at 9:22 AM said:

Oh, how exciting! I’m so glad you had your camera and were right there when the geese took off.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 12/20/2017 at 6:46 PM said:
  
  Thanks Ellen, I was very glad too!
  
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Tuxedo Sophisticated Cat on 12/20/2017 at 10:23 AM said:

wow. What an amazing sight.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 12/20/2017 at 6:47 PM said:
  
  It was amazing!
  
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Lisa Rest on 12/20/2017 at 11:03 AM said:

Fantastic photos, Donna! Absolutely stunning. Large flocks give me hope, too. 🙂

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- bayphotosbydonna on 12/20/2017 at 6:48 PM said:
  
  Thanks Lisa!
  
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brighamstephen on 12/20/2017 at 11:42 AM said:

Wow. What a flock and pictures. Must have been 5000+. Haven’t seen that many over here in Maryland.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 12/20/2017 at 6:59 PM said:
  
  Thanks so much! I haven’t heard of any in Maryland either, but there’s sightings of Tundra Swan at Blackwater NWR. I enjoy them as well!
  
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tanjabrittonwriter on 12/20/2017 at 2:15 PM said:

You were lucky (and prepared) to capture these moments, Donna. It is such a humbling and elevating experience to find oneself in a large flock of birds. Good for you-and for us! 🙂

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- bayphotosbydonna on 12/20/2017 at 7:00 PM said:
  
  Thanks Tanja, with the hustling I was doing, they stopped me in my tracks for this humbling/elevating experience. I was disappointed they and I had to move on! 🙂
  
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tootlepedal on 12/20/2017 at 4:27 PM said:

Being in the right place at the right time is an art and you are an artist.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 12/20/2017 at 7:03 PM said:
  
  I do try to carry my camera bag wherever I go. I’ve experienced too many times I wanted to kick myself for not having it. 🙂
  
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thelocals2016 on 12/21/2017 at 2:45 AM said:

Great shots! Do the geese make much noise?

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- bayphotosbydonna on 12/21/2017 at 7:19 PM said:
  
  Thanks and YES! Oh my, the honking is almost deafening! To a birder, it is beautiful to the ears!
  
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Gunta on 12/21/2017 at 6:01 AM said:

We encountered a similar blizzard of snow geese in Lower Klamath NWR a couple of years ago. It was one of the most thrilling and spectacular sights I’ve ever seen. Your awesome images brought it all back to me! Thanks for the memories!
Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas 🎄

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- bayphotosbydonna on 12/21/2017 at 7:22 PM said:
  
  You’re welcome, Gunta! Yes, it is a sight you will never forget. Lucky me, I’ve seen more than a few dozen SG lift-offs. I watch a new one as if it were my first experience, just in awe…
  Thank you for the Christmas wishes, most definitely the same to you and yours!
  
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neihtn2012 on 12/21/2017 at 7:39 AM said:

Stunning photos, Donna! There must have been tens of thousands of them, and you have captured them so beautifully.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 12/21/2017 at 7:23 PM said:
  
  Thanks Hien, I felt like I was all of a sudden in a snow globe! 🙂
  
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From Moments to Memories on 12/23/2017 at 3:41 PM said:

OH MY GOSH!!! SO LUCKY AND SO BEAUTIFUL! Keep up the great work, Donna! Sheila

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- bayphotosbydonna on 12/23/2017 at 3:55 PM said:
  
  Thanks Sheila, I love when I least expect it I just happen upon a great bird sighting and have my camera with me. 🙂
  
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belindagroverphotography on 12/24/2017 at 8:14 AM said:

Wonderful photos! All the best for the holidays!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 12/24/2017 at 10:24 PM said:
  
  Thank you Belinda, all the best to you as well!
  
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Cornell on 12/24/2017 at 11:20 AM said:

How lovely!

Amazing experience.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 12/24/2017 at 10:26 PM said:
  
  Thanks, Cornell, it is amazing, I wish you could see it in person.
  
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  - Cornell on 12/25/2017 at 12:12 PM said:
    
    Maybe one day, who knows.
    Here where I live I hear some geese only in November, and almost every year I hear them only once, during the night…