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Seasonal migration of wildlife from one part of the world to another is a most miraculous and mysterious marvel of nature.
Geese fly at great speed. They have been clocked at speed as high as 50 miles an hour. Sometimes they fly 3,000 feet to 10,000 feet above the ground.
Geese start their journey after sunset and fly all night and the next day. Their brain guides them by instinct towards their destination. People don't have inner guidance.
Migratory birds use several ways to help them navigate. While traveling on a clear night they use the stars as guides. On cloudy nights, they may be using the Earth's magnetic field or the wind to help them navigate accurately. While flying during the day, the sun provides help for their precise flight. Their flight, their secrecy.
The ideal weather for geese to travel would be for the wind to be at their back, called 'Tail winds'. Warm temperatures and a clear night with a starry sky make perfect flying conditions. The birds are like people; they cannot always choose the right weather conditions.
Geese fly day and night regardless of the weather until they get to their next stopover point. They carefully scan the ground for any possible danger before they set down. When they land, they'll eat grass, seeds, and small fish on the marsh or at the lake wherever they stop. If they land in a goose-friendly habitat, they'll feed, rest, and wait for good flying weather. They always rest and feed for a few days before taking to the airways. This is based on their flying patterns year after year.
While the wild geese are feeding on the ground they post sentinels.
Countless geese are killed during their migration. Hunters shot some. Others starve to death because their natural feeding grounds have been destroyed. Many are killed at night by flying into unlighted tall buildings. Some die for the lack of fresh water.
Millions of acres of marsh and prairie land have been set aside for bird sanctuaries.
Many types of grain crops, cover crops, shrubs with editable seeds, nut and fruited trees have been planted to provide the geese with food and shelter. Agencies have approved the flooding of acres of land to make lakes and swamps for geese and other water birds. These refuges along the patterned migratory routes help preserve the birds.
The Canada is the best known of the American wild geese. It nests from Alaska to the Artic coast of Canada to the northern United States and winters in the south central states to Mexico.
The Canada, a large bird, measures about 40 inches in length and has a black head and gray-brown top feathers. A white patch runs under the chin then up both cheeks. The Canada geese mate for life. The female lays from four to ten eggs and the male helps incubate them. Both parents defend their young with violent hissing, a strong sharp bill, and stout beating wings.
The Canada geese migrate in long V lines with a wise old leader at the head of the V. A scout goose flies at the rear.
Canada geese are the last to migrate south in the autumn. They are the first geese to head north to their nesting grounds in the spring.
Many say geese are one of the most intelligent of all birds. (Despite the saying, 'Silly Goose') their intelligence of migration mystifies man.
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