Mariton - Snow Geese

Like many places in the Lehigh Valley, Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens) have taken up residence near Mariton.  Great flocks have been feeding in the  farm fields between Riegelsville and Mariton this week.  One can easily see the flocks from the roads around the fields.  Inside my office, I can hear them honking nearly a mile away.  Carole Mebus sent me this photo that she took yesterday. 

While Snow Geese are a marvelous site, there is a down side to the sightings.  Snow geese populations are at a record high.  Because of plentiful food on their wintering grounds these days, they return north extremely healthy.  They nest on the arctic tundra, a fairly fragile ecosystem.  They produce more eggs, with higher hatch rates and then feed heavily on the vegetation.  In recent years they have had huge impacts on their arctic habitat.  Biologists are concerned that a crash in both Snow Goose populations and the habitat (and the other creatures that live there) is imminent.  But when they visit, I still marvel at the spectacle.