I found an interesting article <https://birdsofwinter.org/snow-geese-of-the-pacific-flyway/> which describes how most of the Snow Geese around here breed on Wrangell Island in the Russian Far East. Evidently about 40% of the Snow Geese we see in Puget Sound in fall are on their way further south to the California Central Valley and the remaining 60% remain for the winter, mainly in the Skagit and Fraser Valleys.

I'm guessing that the small flock I saw today is eventually destined for California.

Tom Benedict
Seahurst, WA


> On Oct 4, 2023, at 14:57, Tom Benedict <benedict.t at comcast.net> wrote:

>

> Just now, 2:50pm, October 3, 2023, I heard some squawking overhead and looked up to see 19 Snow Geese in "V" formation, headed _north_. That seems odd, for geese to fly north in the fall. Perhaps they were repositioning for later flight south?

>

> This was over the Seahurst neighborhood in Burien, WA. The were flying parallel to the Puget Sound shoreline, a few hundred yards inland.

>

> Tom Benedict

> Seahurst, WA