Snow geese by the tens of thousands have been converging on the Game Commission's Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area on the Lebanon/Lancaster county line; their arrival is proof positive of spring's approach.

This week an estimated 55,000 snow geese and between 2,000 to 4,000 tundra swans were hanging out at Middle Creek. At the height of migration, 100,000 to 150,000 snows may converge on Middle Creek, creating a "got-to-see-it-to-believe-it" spectacle.

But there's never a guarantee the snow geese will ever show in big numbers or stay within viewing distance from the network of roads that crisscross Middle Creek's rolling fields and soggy settings.

Late last week the 35,000 snow geese staging at the Wildlife Management Area swelled to perhaps 95,000 for a short period, noted Jim Binder, Middle Creek's resident manager.

"This morning 40,000 of them turned up missing," Binder said. "Reports indicate that the birds have abandoned their wintering grounds in Delaware and that snow geese are showing up in New York. It is unclear whether the birds that stopped here briefly and then left recently still are somewhere at this same latitude or if they have pushed north. It would be somewhat early for large numbers of snows to be north of us but the movements of these birds is hard to predict. As soon as conditions permit they will usually try to push north, but if they encounter much snow or ice they will again retreat southward."

Potential visitors should remember that these numbers are estimates and are subject to rapid and dramatic change. Click on the Waterfowl Migration webpage for the latest “attendance” figures.

Snow geese migrate north from states south of Pennsylvania to the eastern Arctic region in spring. In the early 1990s, snow geese came to Middle Creek in relatively limited numbers. Then, in 1997, a phenomenal 150,000 snows blanketed the management area's fields and large impoundment, and the birds have been visiting in large numbers pretty much ever since then. The Atlantic Flyway population of snow geese currently numbers about 800,000.

The growth in the greater snow goose population has been phenomenal. In the 1930s, there were only a few thousand. Now, the population is in excess of 800,000 and is above the goal of 500,000 set by Canadian and United States waterfowl managers.

The tundra swan's occupation of Middle Creek parallels that of snow geese. Traditionally, swans leaving their wintering grounds further south used to stage on the Susquehanna River and, when they were ready, headed north. Now, Middle Creek - along with the Susquehanna River - has become a migratory staging area that is used each spring by several thousand tundra swans.

Since its creation in the 1970s, Middle Creek, which is part of the larger State Game Lands 46, in Lebanon and Lancaster counties just south of Kleinfeltersville, has become a critically important migratory bird stopover and staging area. The 6,254-acre property also contains a 400-acre lake and a wide variety of waterfowl-friendly potholes, ponds and wetlands.

In fact, the Game Commission created the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area specifically to help migrating waterfowl and other wildlife. Middle Creek is now a critically-important Atlantic Flyway stopover for tens of thousands of migrating waterfowl, as well as an over-wintering location for myriad waterfowl. It also provides nesting grounds for many declining species of grassland-nesting birds, such as bobolinks and meadowlarks. It also is home to bald eagles, beavers and a thriving whitetail population.

"Toward sunset, waterfowl by the thousands converge on the main impoundment, so long as there's open water," said Binder. "The sunset return and sunrise liftoff are about the only movements we can predict snow geese and tundra swans will make. When they may arrive, where they go to feed and how long they stay at Middle Creek are strictly up to the birds and closely related to weather conditions."

Visitors planning to see waterfowl up-close should bring a pair of binoculars or a spotting scope. Sometimes the birds will feed quite near roads. If you encounter a bird close to the road, approach slowly and keep noise to a minimum. However, do not go beyond the "no entry" signs.

Middle Creek's visitor center, which houses a large wildlife exhibit, is a good first-stop for newcomers. Located just off Hopeland Road near the lake's western shore, the visitor center is staffed and open to the public six days a week. Its schedule is: Tuesdays through Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. The center is closed on Mondays.

In addition to snow geese and tundra swans, Middle Creek offers opportunities to view other wildlife. Canada geese can be found throughout the area. Black ducks, mallards and shovelers cruise the impoundments along with many other ducks. Northern harriers, or marsh hawks, patrol the fields. A bald eagle pair hangs out along the southern shore and eastern end of the lake. Bluebirds also are very busy inspecting roadside bluebird boxes for the upcoming nesting season.

For directions and more information, visit the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area and the Waterfowl Migration webpage.

NewsClip: Gathering of Geese

Link: Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area Spring 2006 Newsletter

3/10/2006