Today after returning from one of our favorite Eastern Shore towns, Chestertown, MD, we came across huge flocks of Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens).
Unlike the ubiquitous Canada Geese, the shy Snow Geese are relatively unknown. They arrive on the Eastern Shore in fewer numbers and flock together in a small area as opposed to their cousins who call every empty field, lot or body of water their home.
Snow Geese prefer to spend most of their time in large fields, avoiding the creeks, coves and rivers near the Chesapeake Bay. This particular flock numbered at least 2,000 birds, some of whom hugged the ground in a dense mass of feathered bodies while others spent a good part of an hour freewheeling in the air like a dog circling and circling a likely spot on the fields before settling in for a nap.
And the result is spectacular. Sub flocks of hundreds of Snow Geese fly by in a surging grey mass. Then they suddenly change direction all at once, much like fighter planes in a dogfight and the whole mass turns into a brilliant white. One more abrupt change of direction reveals a third fascinating display of white wings with contrasting black tips.
Eventually the snow Geese rise up and fly beyond our sight, leaving us to consider that we can’t think of a nicer reason to live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. “Sailboats racing on the bay, wild geese covering the horizon, a plate of steamed crabs and a wonderful sense of Colonial America … all combine to add a new dimension to your life and enhance your own Chesapeake Lifestyle!”
—By Bob Hallsr, The Affable Curmudgeon
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