Waterfowl Migration

Geese have long life spans and, like many other large water birds, they use regular stopover places along their flyways and return year after year to the same nesting and wintering areas. The migration pattern of the Snow Geese is typical of many of our ducks, geese, and swans. Snow Geese nest in high arctic regions from the North Slope of Alaska, eastward along the coast of northwestern Greenland, and southward along the western and southern shores of Hudson Bay. They migrate southward during the fall in large flocks, flying both day and night at high altitudes. The time of their flight is dependent upon weather -- they prefer to fly in clear skies and with a good tail wind. When conditions are right they can cover many hundreds of miles during a single high-altitude flight. Snow Geese spend the winter on the mid-Atlantic coast, the Louisiana-Texas Gulf coast, and in California and the Southwest.