Snow Geese Blue Morph

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blue morph, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday, snow goose, white morph

Snow Geese are mostly white (white morph), but some only have a white face, with the rest of their bodies dark brown and dark blue. They are not too rare, as I usually can see at least one or more in any flock of Snow Geese.

Blue morph Snow Goose amid white morph geese.

When still immature, the blue morph colors are less pronounced while the face has not turned white yet.

Juvenile blue morph Snow Geese among white morph geese.

Juvenile blue morph Snow Geese.

There were several thousands Snow Geese at the refuge while I was taking the above photos. Suddenly they shouted to one another and rose up in the sky.

Snow Geese rising up to fly.

Perhaps they were wary of some Bald Eagle, for they soon settled back on another part of the refuge.

Snow Geese Migration – Part 1

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Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday, snow goose

Shortly after the Snowy Owls, thousands of Snow Geese appeared at Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. New Jersey is on their migration path, and the refuge is a rest stop for them as they fly back to breeding grounds in the Canadian and Alaskan tundras.

The sky was a painterly mix of blue with gray and white clouds, and it was good to be clicking away knowing that one can get good shots no matter what. If you miss one there were always more geese to oblige you.

Snow Geese migrating North.

Snow Geese.

Snow Goose.

Snow Goose.

Snow Geese.

Snow Geese.

Bird Diversity

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black skimmer, peacock, photography, postaday, red-winged blackbird, snow goose, snowy egret

Going through some unpublished photos I took over the last few months, I am struck by the many different kinds of birds that live in our small part of New Jersey. Here’s how diversity looks among birds.

Juvenile Red-winged Blackbird.

Black Skimmer.

Snow Geese. They are not all white.

Peacock.

Snowy Egret.

Snow Goose

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday, snow goose

A picture is worth a thousand words. The following is one of thousands of Snow Geese at the Edwin B Forsythe Wildlife Refuge this past Sunday.

Snow Goose

Snow Goose UP62: Certificate

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Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, greater snow goose, Nunavut, photography, postaday, snow goose

I reported my sighting of the Snow Goose with a collar, UP62, (see previous post https://neihtn.wordpress.com/2015/12/13/snow-goose-collar/) at the following link:

https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/BBL/bblretrv/

Yesterday, Dr. Gilles Gauthier, the bander of the Snow Goose, sent me a Certificate of Appreciation.

Certificate of Appreciation.

So UP62, a Greater Snow Goose, was hatched in 2014 in Nunavut, a vast expanse as large as Greenland at the northernmost part of Canada.

UP62: Yes!

They Area Leaving

Tags

photography, postaday, snow goose

The number of snow geese seen in our area has been steadily trending down these past few weeks, from hundreds of thousands to a few thousands. Yesterday, we drove to the Edwin B Forsythe Wildlife Refuge in Brigantine, NJ to take a look at the few that are left as they prepared to leave.

While we watched, the geese took off in waves.

Snow Geese Taking Off

Here’s how two of them looked as they flew over us, on their way to their breeding areas near the North Pole.

They Are Leaving

By the way, I saw one snowy owl also, but it was too far for my lens to reach. I took several shots but all one can see is a white blob out there in the marshes.