Tweeters,

On the afternoon of 6 September, I observed 1200 (95% adult from my cursory
census) Greater White-fronted Geese on the "McNary Pool" (west of Hwy 12
south of Pasco WA). I called local expert Mike Denny who had more
information on this now-annual phenomenon. "Local birders first noticed
this early fall movement in 1992; numbers have seemed fairly consistent
since then. In the fall, they arrive as early as late August, but more
usually early September. They stay only about one week."

He wonders whether these birds are from the Yukon River delta breeding
population (as seems likely), or are mid-continent breeders (which typicaly
stage in the fall in southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan
before heading south to their wintering grounds on the Gulf Coast of
Louisiana, Texas, and Mexico).

Several thoughts and questions:

If these are Yukon River delta birds, then why, after making landfall on
the shores of the lower '48 (after their non-stop migration across Gulf of
Alaska to roughly the Columbia River mouth), are they crossing the Cascades
and staging in southeastern Washington? Why are they not heading directly
southeast over or through the Willamette Valley of western Oregon to their
major staging grounds in the Klamath Basin? Has the marked increase in
irrigated agriculture in the Columbia Basin of southeastern Washington
created new and attractive opportunities for white-fronts that prompts a
portion of the population to adopt a new and somewhat indirect migration
pattern?

Or, is the point of landfall on northeastern Pacific shores more variable
than generally recognized? Infrequently, "perhaps due to weather
conditions," in some years thousands are noted passing over Port Hardy on
Vancouver Island in British Columbia in September (The Birds of BC. Royal
BC Mus. 1990. vol. 1, p. 262), hence staging areas in southeastern
Washington would lie in a more direct route to Klamath Basin staging areas.
The fact there is apparently a now-annual occurrence of white-fronts in
southeastern Washington seems to hint vagaries in weather are not
responsible for the geese in Washington.

If this topic has been researched and documented by waterfowl managers,
then maybe the answers to my questions are known. I would appreciate any
information on these geese.

Andy Stepniewski
Wapato WA