The Greater Snow Geese

At the beginning of this century there were only about 3 000 of them and the population was on the verge of extinction. Effective protection measures have increased their numbers to more than 1 000 000 today.

The geese arrive in Québec in April and May after a 900km, non-stop flight from the U.S. East Coast. They spend much of their time feeding in the fields and marshes to build up the reserves of fat they will need to supply the energy for their long onward journey north. The increasing numbers of geese concern the farmers whose fields they occupy. They still have some 3 000 km to cover before reaching the breeding grounds. The geese set off again in the third week of May and fly along a fairly well defined migration corridor, possibly stopping on the Ungava Peninsula.

The Greater Snow Geese mate for life... Just like swans... It's beautiful...

The geese flock here most spectacularly in autumn. From late September to the end of October is when you can witness the greatest concentrations of Greater Snow Geese. 1/10th of Québec’s Geese population can be observed where I took this photo, so 100 000 birds! In spring, the geese spread out more extensively along the St. Lawrence River and Estuary especially over the past few years. Consequently, the growing population of Greater Snow Geese and the absence of pressure from hunters at this time of year now enable the birds to take more effective advantage of the area's food potential.

One thing for sure, witnessing so many of these birds take flight, is an incredible sight. The noise, the movements so perfectly choregraphed, it's something everyone should see once in a lifetime...