If you were outside from January through March, you might have heard loud honking from above. This honking is from geese migrating to the north. However, these geese may be a special type of goose known as the snow goose. They have shorter necks than Canada geese and they are covered with white feathers, which helps to camouflage them in their arctic habitat.

Unlike Canada geese which migrate in smaller flocks, snow geese often travel in flocks numbering over 10,000 geese each at heights up to 7,500 feet. They fly in V-shaped formations and diagonal lines, which helps the geese save more energy. By flying in huge flocks, they can change direction and navigate obstacles and weather much more efficiently by simply imitating the behavior of other geese rather than waiting for cues to change their trajectory.

The snow geese migrate north through the Midwest region and both coasts of North America. They leave their winter homes in Mexico and the US gulf coast to arrive at their breeding grounds of northern Canada and Alaska for the summer. 

One of the main places to see the snow geese near Hershey is the Middle Creek Wildlife Preserve, located roughly 25 miles away in Stevens, PA. The best times to see the geese are during sunrise and sunset, as these periods are when snow geese prepare to find or return from finding food. You can still see them during the midday, but there may be geese on the lake than usual as they are looking for food. Other animals reside at Middle Creek, such as tundra swans, Canada geese, and herons. Bald eagles can be seen in the trees as well.

The peaks for snow geese are unpredictable. In 2024, over 70,000 geese came to Middle Creek during February 24-25. The most snow geese that came on a single day to Middle creek is 200,000 geese in 2018. This year, the amounts of geese and swans declined during March at both Middle Creek and the contiguous United States to head north for the upcoming breeding season. 

These flocks of geese and their migration can still be very important to our ecosystem, as they can help propagate plant growth by grazing. Their diet consists of seeds, insect larvae and berries, and grassy plants, which leaves more space for new plants to grow.

Next year, the snow geese will likely migrate over central Pennsylvania from late January to March. To learn more about snow geese and the Middle Creek Wildlife Reserve, visit the Middle Creek Wildlife website or the Audubon field guide for the snow goose.