March 26th, 2009  - Freezeout Lake

Migrating birds, like snow geese and swans, follow migration routes called flyways or migration corridors. There are four primary flyways in North America.  Here, in Montana, we are part of the Pacific Flyway.

There are about 1 million snow geese in the Pacific Flyway.  These snow geese winter in the Central Valley of California and nest in colonies of about 500,000 in the far northwest territories of Canada, Alaska, northern Canada, and Wrangel Island, Russia.

During the approximately 2,500 mile flight between these two areas, the geese stop in Saskatchewan and Montana in order to rest and recoup energy losses (decreases in body fat) by feeding.  At Freezeout, the geese eat grain from the surrounding fields in the late afternoon and early morning.  Fish, Wildlife, and Parks plants and mows down barley donated from farmers in the Fairfield area in order to supplement the food supply.

According to snow goose expert Mike Schwitters of Choteau, "The area around Freezout offers everything a weary traveler needs - a secure motel with an outdoor pool and a nice restaurant".  As many as 300,000 snow geese and 10,000 tundra swans gather at Freezeout, along with the Ross's goose, Canadian geese, and a variety of ducks.

Snow geese make the 600 to 700 mile non-stop flight from southern Oregon to Freezeout Lake at speeds of 50 mph or more.  Geese migrate in a V formation in order to save energy.  By taking advantage of the wing tip vortex of the bird in front of it, a bird reduces drag and can save up to 50% of the energy it would have spent flying on its own.

The migration patterns of geese have been tracked by using neck bands.  It has been found that geese form strong family units and actually mate for life.  A hatchling will spend its first year and migration with its own family before it chooses its own mate.  The two paired geese than return to the hatching ground of the female to lay and incubate eggs.  Females do not lay eggs until around three years of age.  While the female bird incubates the eggs, the male guards the nest and neither bird eats for the 3.5 weeks it takes for the eggs to hatch. 

Young Snow Geese are darker colored than the adult.  There is also a rare form of Snow Goose called a blue morph that is much darker (almost black) than the other Snow Geese.

 

 

 

 

Brent Lonner, the Fish, Wildlife & Parks biologist stationed at Freezout.