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Christian Thomas returns to WBS Penguins with Olympic memories and hardware

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D2-4 3A Swimming Chsmpionships: Kowalski gets a kick out of making state field

<p>A unique visitor appeared in several spots throughout the region this winter, dressed all in white for the special occasion.</p><p>Flocks of snow geese have stopped over during their migration to their breeding grounds in the Arctic, and the appearance of hundreds of white birds dotting a field has generated a lot of interest.</p><p>&#8220;If you&#8217;ve never seen them before, you would be impressed,&#8221; said Sandy Goodwin of the Greater Wyoming Valley Audubon Society. &#8220;They really stand out and there are so many that people pull over to see them. Sometimes it&#8217;s just a day that they are there, and then they&#8217;re gone.&#8221;</p><p>According to a recent report from the local Audubon chapter, at least 500 snow geese stopped in the fields at Wyoming Valley Airport on Feb. 23, and a couple hundred snow geese appeared in Hollenback Township on Feb. 25.</p><p>So where are the snow geese heading and why are they stopping in northeastern Pennsylvania?</p><p>Pennsylvania Game Commission biologist Molly Giles said there could be a number of factors involved.</p><p>The peak of migration for snow geese in the spring is usually March, but things are a little ahead of schedule this year, she said. The recent warm spell likely had something to do with it, along with the increasing amount of daylight which triggers migration, according to Giles.</p><p>She added that changes to agricultural practices in the southern states may have resulted in a decrease in food sources where snow geese spend the winter, so with those supplies dwindling, they might be on the move earlier.</p><p>The snow geese are migrating to the northern Arctic where they breed and nest over the summer, and to get there they fly over Pennsylvania, which is in the Atlantic Flyway.</p><p>The Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area on the Lancaster-Lebanon county line is a popular stop for migrating snow geese, and in February a record 200,000 (estimated) birds were at the site, according to the Game Commission.</p><p>Giles said there are two types of snow geese, lesser and greater, and it&#8217;s the latter that stops in Pennsylvania.</p><p>&#8220;People could be seeing them in different places now because there&#8217;s a better food source and open water, so they decide to stop,&#8221; Giles said.</p><p>Biologist Ian Gregg, chief of the PGC&#8217;s Game Management Division, said snow geese numbers in the Atlantic Flyway have stabilized over the last 10 years, holding at 750,000 to one million, and the healthy population may be one reason why they&#8217;re showing up in new areas.</p><p>Over the last 10 to 15 years, according to Gregg, the distribution of snow geese in the state spread.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not really a big surprise that people are seeing them in new areas,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a dramatic sight and I expect people will continue to see them.&#8221;</p><p>Snow geese co-exist with Canada geese and they share the same areas, but if numbers get too high the former can do more damage to the landscape than the latter.</p><p>Gregg said Canada geese are more grazers, while snow geese feed by pulling plants up by the roots. To help limit any impact to the landscape, hunting seasons for snow geese are somewhat limited. The approach has helped to keep the population stable, Gregg said.</p><p>Most of the snow geese flying over Pennsylvania are coming up from New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, according to Giles. But their trip to the Arctic isn&#8217;t always a direct flight.</p><p>&#8220;When they hit the St. Lawrence River area, if it&#8217;s still covered in snow and ice, they&#8217;ll hang there sometimes until May until the breeding areas open up,&#8221; she said.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_SGeese1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Snow geese are a different species than Canada geese, but the two are often found together feeding in farm fields and wetland areas. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_SGeese1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Snow geese are a different species than Canada geese, but the two are often found together feeding in farm fields and wetland areas. </caption0><photoCredit0>Pennsylvania Game Commission </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_Sgeese2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Migration is occurring a bit earlier this spriing, and that could be one reason why snow geese have appeared in several new locations in the area this winter. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_Sgeese2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Migration is occurring a bit earlier this spriing, and that could be one reason why snow geese have appeared in several new locations in the area this winter. </caption1><photoCredit1>Pennsylvania Game Commission </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_Sgeese3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">An estimated 200,000 snow geese were gathered at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area last month &#8212; a record for the site &#8212; but the overall population in the Atlantic Flyway has remained stable. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_Sgeese3.jpg</photo2><caption2>An estimated 200,000 snow geese were gathered at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area last month &#8212; a record for the site &#8212; but the overall population in the Atlantic Flyway has remained stable. </caption2><photoCredit2>Pennsylvania Game Commission </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>The white geese have appeared in several new locations in the area this winter.</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>Learn more &#8230;</strong></p><p>For more information on snow geese and current waterfowl counts at Middle Creek, visit www.pgc.pa.gov. </p><p>As of March 1, the numbers for popular waterfowl species at Middle Creek were:</p><p>Snow geese - 20,000</p><p>Tundra swans - 5,000</p><p>Canada geese - 2,000</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Snow geese stopping over in NEPA