The 2022 Snow Goose Scoop
Breaking news on the Migration of Snow Geese through Vermont and New York
Final Summary Report — December 19, 2022
Although scattered sightings continue, the autumn Snow Goose season has all but ended in the Champlain Valley of Vermont and New York. The latest report is 685 geese remaining in Monty Bay on the New York side of the lake. Recent sightings (since December 1) are in The Map below (requires an eBird account).
The Snow Goose Scoop will return with southbound geese in October of 2023. Thanks for visiting!
The Map
A real-time map, from eBird, of Snow Goose sightings around the world since December 1, 2022. (Requires an eBird account.)
2022 Backgrounder
What happened to all the geese? And why you might visit Vermont and not see the thousands of geese actually sitting there.
A Blue Ross's Goose
My lesson on the finer points of Snow Goose/Ross' Goose identification — something that should help you become a better birdwatcher.
The Snowy Owl Scoop
A snowstorm of a different kind: tracking the fall movement of Snowy Owls across the continent.
Resources and Readings
Snow Goose – The account from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds site.
Identification of White Geese by David Sibley – Help with telling Ross’s Goose from Snow Goose.
Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area – Vermont’s prime goose-viewing opportunity. The visitor center is now closed for the 2022 season.
Geese Setting the Table for Polar Bears – The New York Times reports that a warming planet leaves polar bears with less opportunity to hunt seals. So they’re turning to snow geese chicks and eggs instead.
One Day, Two Ross’s – My account of seeing an exceedingly rare Ross’s Gull and the generally rare Ross’s Goose during a single day in 2013.
