Journeying about as far north as you can get in summer, the Greater White-fronted Goose will make its way through Wisconsin over the next month on its way to the most northern reaches of Alaska, the Yukon and Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. The major push of their migration occurs northwest of us in the Great Plains, where huge flocks congregate along rivers, wetlands, and lakes. However, a smaller contingent of birds do form a flyway heading north through eastern Wisconsin, visible as a sliver in the abundance map below, courtesy of eBird.
A map from eBird shows the migration pattern of the Greater White-fronted Goose.
Greater White-fronted Geese are similar to other geese in that they form pair bonds that tend to be long lasting. In addition to pairs, family members will often stay together over multiple seasons, with 39% of third-year geese maintaining some social relationship with known family members. This is even more impressive when you consider that flock sizes during migration range into the tens of thousands, and that these birds migrate over 6,000 miles each year.
Of those large flock sizes, high counts on eBird give an indication of the smaller number of birds migrating through Wisconsin, as the high count in the state is 5,500 birds. Meanwhile, the South Dakota record is over 20,000 birds, and the US record occurred in Kansas at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge—a rare inland salt marsh—which allegedly held 250,000 birds. Complicating matters, White-fronted Geese typically flock with equally impressive flocks of other geese like Canada and Snow Geese.
In flight, the birds make energetic little squeaks, and can be picked out with close observation of their orange legs and bill, and their white feathers at the base of the bill. Having just arrived in Wisconsin in the last week, you might be able to see some impressive flocks at Faville Grove along the Crawfish River. Sometimes, from Prairie Lane, you can see huge flocks kicking up from the river, but you could also walk straight east to the river on Martin or Tillotson Prairies. The next few weeks should offer ample opportunities to see this bird as it makes its way to the far north, probably alongside its own goose friends and family.
Written by Drew Harry, Faville Grove Sanctuary land steward
Cover image: A flock of Greater White-fronted Geese fly across the sky (photo by Arlene Koziol).
