Snow geese are migratory birds. They spend the winters in Louisiana and Texas and their summers far north in Canada, but they pass through North Dakota each spring and fall on their annual migrations. As many as two million birds may cross the state in October and November and a lot of the geese stop right here on the J. Clark Salyer refugee south of Bottineau. Right now on J. Clark Salyer refuge we are looking at probably a hundred-thousand snow geese, maybe a hundred and fifty thousand snow geese.
Snow geese are, to put it mildly, social animals.
When they come off the water it doesn't just seem like birds taking to the air, it is an eruption of wild frenzied life, desperate and determined to be. What a racket it is, but what a bold, relentless affirmation of life. I could give you more facts on snow geese. They weight 6 to 7 pounds. They can cruise at 40 miles per hour.