January 23, 2003, -20 degrees, Sunny
In recent years Canada geese have wintered in upstate New York. Mild
winters have allowed them to find open water to roost and cut over fields
to feed. This winter is different. Snow has covered the fields, and
many ponds, lakes and streams are frozen over.
We have flocks of Canadas in the Mohawk Valley and
several pairs were wintering on West Canada Creek where I live. In the
past week, long stretches of the West Canada froze over. The stillwaters
freeze first, backing up snow and ice coming down the river, which in turn
freezes. The ice literally creeps upstream, eventually freezing over stretches
of fastwater and rapids.
Need I say more?
We have a rapids in front of our house. The other
day it froze over. The next morning there were four Canada geese lying
on the ice in front of our house. It was 20 below zero. Later that morning
as the sun "warmed" the ice, the geese moved upstream to be near open water,
but rested on the ice because the open water was moving so fast. They remained
there for most of the day.
Some geese were found dead
on the ice in this area, so I waded knee deep through the snow with a bag
of bread rolls. I expected the four geese to move off as I got closer,
but they came toward me. I tossed a half-dozen hard rolls on the ice and
they spent the next hour or so consuming them.
Early that morning I had taken a photo of our outside
thermometer with the geese in the background, and sent it by email to a
few friends with the note "Need I say more?" Some of them thought
I had set up the photograph using decoys. Like I would walk across a frozen
rapids and put out decoys.
Tough winter for wildlife.
geese starting moving about.
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