Snow Geese

The wildlife spectacle of the year around Vancouver occurs each autumn when tens
of thousands of Snow Geese return to the marshes of the Fraser River delta to spend
the winter. Geese from Alaska to Russia begin arriving in October and reach peak
numbers of up to 40,000 birds in November, when their clamour is deafening. The
best place to view them is at the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, in fields
along the road to the refuge or from the outer marsh trails.
The Snow Goose's two colour morphs, "white" and "blue," used to be thought of as
separate species. The blue morph is rarely encountered this far west. Occasionally,
these birds' heads are stained a rusty colour from foraging in iron-rich mud for
rootstocks.

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