Honk if you like hardy snow goose
Migrating flocks come from the Arctic to fields in the Rio Grande Valley
Fall is alive with the sounds of birds migrating south from their nesting sites in the Northern states to spend winter months throughout New Mexico.
One of the most popular winter arrivals is the sandhill crane, but another winter arrival that gets less attention is the snow goose. The snow goose has a striking, allwhite body with black wingtips. It averages 28 inches long and has an average wingspan of 53 inches.
This goose is hard to miss. Snow geese travel in large flocks, often numbering in the thousands. They also make a loud honking sound in flight.
The snow goose is one sturdy bird. It nests in the Arctic tundra in northern Canada and Alaska near ponds, shallow lakes and coastal marshes. Its chicks are born with open eyes and down-covered bodies, which help them to maintain a constant body temperature on their own within a few days of hatching. They grow quickly, and within a few weeks goslings can walk up to 50 miles with their parents in search of food. Snow geese stay with the same mate for life.
Snow geese are not only strong walkers, but strong fliers and swimmers. They are vegetarians, voracious eaters that forage for food on foot. Their main food source is grasses that they find in marshes and wetlands. During spring and fall migration, they also eat grains found in plowed agricultural fields, and in winter they add berries to their diet.
Snow geese winter in the United States, on the West Coast, the Southern coastal states and along the Rio Grande Valley in south-central New Mexico. The snow goose is attracted to the numerous farm fields that line the Rio Grande Valley. It is not unusual this time of year to see hundreds of snow geese descend upon a field and cover it like a blanket of snow. These migrating flocks have lookout birds that vocally alert the flock to predators, such as eagles and coyotes.
When alerted, the flock abruptly takes flight while making loud honking calls. This can be a startling sight. I witnessed this when walking along a field at a wildlife refuge just south of Albuquerque. When the flock scattered, I looked up and saw a bald eagle circling in the sky.
The best places to view the snow goose and other winged winter visitors is at any of our state and national wildlife refuges along the Rio Grande and other river valleys throughout New Mexico.