The Snow Geese of Pungo

One of my favorite experiences of living in Pungo is the annual appearance of migrating Snow Geese. These beautiful geese are generally visible in February and early March in Pungo farm fields as they make their way back to the Arctic tundra to breed, thus completing a round trip of thousands of miles! This annual migration of Snow Geese has been called one of the greatest wildlife spectacles in North America. And we are so very fortunate to be able to witness a small part of it. With that in mind, when I speak of the Snow Geese that appear here, I am talking about flocks numbering in the hundreds and sometimes thousands. They are very vocal and can often be heard from more than a mile away. You may have actually heard them flying overhead!
The Snow Goose has two color plumage morphs, white (snow) or gray/blue (blue), thus the common description as "snows" and "blues". White-morph birds are white except for black wing tips, and this is what we generally see here. Blue-morph geese have bluish-grey plumage replacing the white except on the head, neck and tail tip. The immature blue phase is drab or slate-gray with little to no white on the head, neck, or belly. Both snow and blue phases have rose-red feet and legs, and pink bills with black tomia ("cutting edges"), giving them a black "grin patch". The colors are not as bright on the feet, legs, and bill of immature birds. The head can be stained rusty-brown from minerals in the soil where they feed.
When the Snow Geese are in Pungo farm fields, they seem to be feeding on left over grain, wheat, or resting in preparation for their long trip back to the Arctic tundra. My experience is that I see them in the daylight hours, as they spend in night floating in water, probably in Back Bay or at Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge just over the line in North Carolina. If they are threatened by a predator, such as a hawk, Bald Eagle, or coyote, they will immediately take flight, and that is truly an amazing sight as they all take off together, as if on cue. And the sound is not something you will soon forget.
Snow Geese nest and breed in the Arctic tundra in the Spring and it is believed that they mate for life. The females return to the place that they were hatched to breed. She selects the location and builds the nest. Both parents protect the young and they can feed themselves after hatching. But they remain with their family until they are 2 to 3 years old. So, there are usually many family units in our Pungo fields.
I urge you take take a leisurely drive in Pungo next February or March. In the meantime, there are many videos online of the migration. Watch some! You will be amazed!