Back Tracking

The last few days, we have observed "wavies" of Snow Geese heading west, which is their usual route across these parts on their way toward summer nesting grounds up in the Arctic.  They'll head north from National Wildlife Refuges along the Missouri River across those gorgeous Great Plains. I am smitten by the Great Plains.  I just can't seem to help myself and as I age, I don't even try.

Those "wavies" are lines of Snow Geese weaving in and out with the leader continually changing. They fly high in the sky.  Their beautiful almost ethereal sound just seems to come down and reverberate all around and tease us.  "Where are they?" 

Their migration is early.  Records here on the Farm showed that the movement happened February 18 last year.  I remember "mid-February" as a usual migration time since we have lived here.  I do not know if that is "normal", whatever normal is these days.

Well today, the weather was supposed to shift.  Rain and possible snow were predicted.  A wide spread system was coming to town.  Ahead of the shift, here came the Snow Geese back tracking to wherever they were before.  They were headed due East and they were serious about it too.

I wondered if this was a way that the old timers would forecast weather.  Who knows?  I do know that migration takes a considerable amount of energy.  Richard says that reverse migration is known and he thinks that it would be fairly common among Snow Geese.

We always have stuff to chew on here at the Farm.  Nature just keeps serving it up.  And we have great seats. Every little observation is a lesson in how little that we know and how much we want to know.  Life is grand.