Doobies Snow Goose Spectacle

[DoobieDuck]

When spring arrives and the temperature starts rising the sky comes alive with these winter migrants returning home from the Central Valley of California. These Snow geese are bound for Alaska and beyond to breed and raise another batch of offspring that will again return in the fall. Lucky me..I live smack dab in the middle of the flyway. They do not stay long so if I’m to get some good images I must go out often and capture about 150 images a day to get just a few. I was lucky enough to do this today, this morning, just about burning up the shutter on my camera. It is a spectacle of nature being among the birds and noisy as hell! I’d like to share these images with my friends here at IC in this new Great Outdoors forum..feel free to use one for your spring desktop image as I already have, I liked the third from the top for its depth of field. I’ll be back out again in the morning for another shoot…if you're real nice to the ranchers they'll let you tresspass..my only drawback is I have to poke my long ponytail under my hat as they are ranchers from the old school! Thanks for your views and posts..DD

 

[Mrs.Babba]

How pretty are those birds DD!!! ...so graceful, way to capture them! thanks

 

[Molson]

Snow geese are beautiful. Canada geese, on the other hand, those motherfuckers. Had to do a animal behavior report on them... pain in my ass.

 

[DoobieDuck]

Thank you Mrs. B and Molson yes the big honkers, Canada geese, are..well..just big. They are nice to photograph as well....DD

 

[Storm Crow]

Used to live in a place called Maxwell. The Snow geese would descend on the empty rice fields, making it look like a localized snow storm had hit. And the noise! My goodness! Like a looped tape repeating over and over. Then, they would all rise and fly off at some unseen signal, and it would be silent once more.


Granny

 

[sparky73]

Not many snow geese around me but last few years the there been alot of swans they pretty to, I near the mississippi flyway

 

[LolaGal]

Nice photos DD....I've never seen these birds before...cool.

 

[Maj.PotHead]

i cant see the pics and i love eating geese lol

 

[DoobieDuck]

Maj...don't know why you can't see them..there is a new re-size funtion in your control pannel you might try there. These geese aren't good eaters..their meat is black and taste like shit...DD

 

[Hazeseeker]

Hi Doobie,
i can't see your pics either man, are your albums turned on to 'private'?

peace

 

[DoobieDuck]

Hazeseeker thank you for bringing that to my attention..the albums are now public..DD

 

[Maj.PotHead]

thx DD great pics i havent ate goose since 11 yrs old in MN that was a speckeled goose, i was raised on fish and wild game for the most part.

 

[JJScorpio]

Snow Geese are very distructive and can destroy a field within hours. Unlike Canadians, the Snows pull up grass, and other plants and feed on the roots.

Most states now have an extended season with no bag limits to try and cut down on their numbers.

 

[Funky Donkey]

Geese are interesting to watch. They seem to lose their fear of humans in non-hunting environments. Actually, they seem to thrive in suburban areas. Beyond that, they contaminate water reservoirs, parks, golf courses and lawns with goose shit and enjoy being sucked into jet engines and walking across busy streets and highways.

FD

 

[DoobieDuck]

Snow Geese are very distructive and can destroy a field within hours. Unlike Canadians, the Snows pull up grass, and other plants and feed on the roots. Most states now have an extended season with no bag limits to try and cut down on their numbers.

Funky donk and JJ thanks for the visit..Canada geese feed on exactly the same things as these snow geese but the honkers and lesser Canadas are in fewer numbers so it may seem they are less "distructive"..these snows eat the crap out of some of the feilds I shoot my images in..and you are very correct JJ.. as a matter of fact, this is the exact reason the ranchers and farmers let me go on thier property..I scare them off sometimes and it helps keep them from "pulling up" the wheat the farmers have recently planted. These images are in a natural spring area where they feed on grass that is not pulled up they just munch off the tops and they cause no harm. Waterfowl, including these geese, are under Federal game laws and restrictions, since they are migratory, so the Feds set the bag limits and season dates for diferent flyways, the states then can set thiers within those created by the Feds. Just as with medical marijuana- it sometimes is a cluster for a sportsman to understand whos law comes first..LOL. In California., for the season that just finished in January, I think the bag limit for geese was three a day and could only include one snow goose as thier numbers have been falling for sometime now. Bag limits were adopted back in the 50s, again I think, but there has never been a "No Bag Limit" in any US state since that time. DD

 

[ROJO145]

Absolutely beautiful pics DD,you always have!!
In NYS March 11 thru April 15 is open season on snow geese and there is a 15 bird a day limit.

Toulouse geese are an excellent watchdog,I have raised quite a few and a squirell doesnt fart in there area without them sounding.You want real security,put a pair of geese in your yard,nothins ever gonna sneak up on ya!!The eggs are great and so is there meat,but,multi colored goose shit is no fun to step in,lol!!

 

[rafe]

The next Ansel Adams ladies and gents!! Those are beautiful doobieduck!! Man there are places in Alaska I could take you during the spring breakup for wonderful pictures. Most of mine unfortunately burned in a house fire. I'd love to look at your portfolio. I'm sure there are some great things in there.

 

[DoobieDuck]

Rojo 15 a day...wow...that is so unusual for it to be so many when the Pacific flyway is so very few...but the FEds...?? Thank you Rafe for the wonderful comments..DD

 

[North]

Doobie,

Fantastic pics as usual, you should start a" ask the Photographer" tread... kind of a help the amatuer thread.

what kind of equipment do you use? still use film at all? thoughts on digital medium?

 

[DoobieDuck]

North thanks for the post..I have had many requests to start something like that here at IC but I'm not qualified in all areas of photography and am hesitant to do so. I usually answer any questions I feel I have enough knowledge to do so adequately. I shoot 35mm still but not often, black and white film mostly. My thoughts on digital are changing daily as the medium is progressing that fast. I love the savings I enjoy in not having film developed as in this shoot, I am shooting an average of 200 images daily and have been shooting now for a week..you do the math. I'm very happy with my prints now with a Canon 20D but I am purchasing a 50D in the next week or so which will more than double my resolution. Good luck friend and happy pix...DD