This photo is from February, a few years ago, when we had a sudden snowfall. These Canada geese were probably wintering here, rather than flying farther south, but I’m sure they didn’t expect it to snow.  Even the five or six snow geese in the foreground were probably not expecting snow. I think their name comes solely from their colour, not from any love of snow.

Most of the geese have their head in the snow, trying to work their way down to the roots of the crop that was harvested a few months earlier. They may find some nourishment there, and possibly the odd worm might be lurking just under the ground.

The geese must be finding enough to eat there to make it worthwhile, or they would all be on the other side of the road (from where I took the picture) where there is an estuary that is a bit more sheltered and the water is shallow, providing nibbles of seafood just barely covered by water.

I’m guessing that another reason they’re not in that estuary just at this photo time could be that the tide was out and the mudflats are exposed. When there is a bit more water, the geese can swim  and be safer from predators, and they can dabble in the muck for their hors d’oeuvres.

In the field, they can’t swim and be out of reach, but the field is flat and provides plenty of oversight.  You will always see one or two geese acting as sentries while the rest have their head down, feeding.  Somehow, they manage to take turns at watch duty.

 

See the little bit of black near the tail feathers of the snow geese above.  Those feathers are actually their black wingtips that make the geese so easily identifiable when they fly overhead. White feathers reflecting the sunshine, and black wingtips adding special decoration.

G is for goose, but not Christmas goose for dinner.  Not here, anyway.