Snow Geese Migration – Rocky Mountain Front
The snow geese migration along the Rocky Mountain Front in Montana is in full swing. The birds usually come though from the middle of March though early April on their way to their nesting grounds located on a small island in the north Bearing Sea. The migration is a nature and wildlife photographers must do activity. It’s an epic adventure and a wildlife experience worth watching in person. Every spring I travel up and down the Rocky Mountain Front of Montana to photograph one of natures most miraculous bird shows. Its a total experience.
I usually camp-out and photograph from sun up to sun down. I’m away from home for a few days at a time, but I love it. This time of year, the days are getting longer but it’s still early enough in the year to experience below freezing temps in the mornings, snow on some days, and lots of wind. Layering is a must as some daytime temps can reach the 50′s.
This year the bird numbers are down. I think most of the white geese are moving through but not staying. The weather has been mild here so I suspect there’s open water up north, how far up north, I’m not sure, because I know that Alaska got hammered this winter. Check out my friend Dan Bailey’s posts, he’s an alaska based oudoor adventure photographer who can teach you a lot. Moving back to Glacier Country, and the Rocky Mountain Front, I’m going to share a photograph and video of snow geese with you.
In preparation to make a video like this, you have to know a little about bird behavior, and I know just enough to get me in trouble, and that’s what I found. I knew the birds would fly into the wind, they always take off into the wind – but I never imagined that the entire flock would move over me. You’ll watch as over 100,000 and as many as 150,000 snow geese lift off and fly right over my head (starting at about minute 1:15). Watch as the geese just keep coming and coming and coming. What’s also unique about this video, is that these geese are leaving for good, this was their final lift off as they moved farther north from Montana. I have to tell you that this video was shot last spring, the numbers did not get this large this year. . . The video is below this still image of a flock of snow geese rising off the water, and heading out to feed. The snow capped peeks of the Rocky Mountain Front are visible in the background.
A flock of snow geese lift off and head out to feed. Snow capped peeks of the rocky mountain front are visible in the distance. Nikon d300, Nikon 500 f/4 af-s VR. © Tony Bynum all rights reserved.
7 Responses to “Snow Geese Migration – Rocky Mountain Front”
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Tony,
Enjoyed the photo as well as the video of the snow geese. Last weekend I was at Freeze Out Lake hoping to see those kind of numbers. It also made me realize in order to get some nice shots I would have to invest in a larger lens so the birds didn’t just look like small dots in the photo. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Robert! I just got word today, that there are more than 100,000 geese at freezeout! Better get over here!
Thanks Robert. This year was a bit slow. You are right, longer lenses gives you bit more option, but you also need good light, the right angle, clear conditions, no heat, good water in the right places, and so on. . . the birds do different things every year. Some years you can get very close some you cant, you just have to keep going and going and going, year after year, and you’ll get some good shots!
Awesome, awesome, awesome! How I would have loved to have been there to experience such an amazing sight! I went so see the snow geese in northern California earlier this year, but not in the numbers as in this video. They are so beautiful to watch and photograph and you certainly got a great shot there with the snow capped mountains as a backdrop. Great stuff!
Hey Jacqueline, thank your for stopping by and watching that video. It was an amazing experience that’s for sure. I’m just glad I had that little camcorder with with me to catch it. The video is highly compressed for the web, as you can tell if you watch the birds rising, but enough of it is in good enough conditions to be useful in conveying what it was like to be there! In 10 years of watching those birds I’ve never been able to get into the exact right position. Sure I’ve had them fly over me in the thousands, but never that many for that long! So much fun. Thank you for your compliments and for taking the time to comment! You can sign up for my blog posts if you like (just go to the top right, there’s is a link to sign up). I dont spam and I dont send you junk . . . Just a notice when I’ve posted again to my blog . . . Cheers! Tony
OMG! Total experience is right. FABULOUS! I study,observe,and photograph the snow geese in the North Atlantic Flyway Zone which are the Greater Snow Geese. Believe I’m as fascinated with them as you are. The snow geese move quickly to the tundra in the spring we aren’t apt to see them in mass numbers as in the fall and certainly not as many at any one given time. Terrific am delighted you shared this.
Cheers
Jane
Jane, I’m so glad you got a charge out of that video. I can hear it in your post! Thank you for taking the time to comment! Good luck with your spring and fall birding.