Migrating Geese and Seasonal Change

                                       

 Steve Apps photo. 

You could usually hear them before you saw them.  The Canada Goose call is very distinctive, as are the Vs of them winging south each fall to return again in the spring.  It’s a sure sign of seasonal change—fall to winter, winter to spring, when the Canada geese are flying.

As a kid, on cool, clear fall days, I remember seeing long Vs of Canada geese stretching from one horizon to another.  Always curious, I did some checking as to why the Canada geese flew in long Vs while other migrating song birds did not.  By following closely behind each other, the leading goose creates a slipstream, which helps pull the trailing birds forward. The lead goose also creates little pockets of spinning air, which helps provide lift.  Of course, the first goose in line benefits not at all from this, and has to work much harder than those coming behind.

When the lead goose gets tired, it falls back and another takes its place, and the flock continues on, honking happily as they look forward to a warm winter in the south.  Geese prefer flying when the wind is down—understandable.  It takes a lot of energy when there is no wind.  It takes much more if the flock has fly into a brisk wind.

 On a windy day, the migrating flock will “layover” on an available body of water until the wind dies down.  The pond at our farm is sometimes a layover place.  One day I stopped by and saw the pond nearly filled with resting geese.  Each talking in its own way—no doubt grumbling that they had to interrupt their travels because of the wind. Geese that migrate over our farm follow the same “flyway” year after year.  The route is familiar to them and they don’t get lost in their migration. 

THE OLD TIMER SAYS:  Everything seems right with the world when I see a flock of migrating Canada Geese

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WHERE TO BUY MY BOOKS:

It’s not too early for Christmas shopping.  Books make great gifts.  You can buy my books at your local bookstore, order online from bookshop.org, or purchase from the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose—a fundraiser for them. Phone: 920-622-3835 for prices and ordering.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984
barnard@wildroselibrary.
www.wildroselibrary.org

If you live in the western part of the state, stop at Ruth’s home town, Westby and visit Dregne’s.  and look at their great selection of my books. Order a book from them by calling 1-877-634-4414. They will be happy to help you.