Snow Geese, Palmer's

Canada Geese are certainly a species of waterfowl that are so common around here that, much of the time, the only reason anyone pays attention to them is to point out what a nuisance they are. Still, whenever I encounter a congregation of Cans, I give the group a careful scan on the possibility that, mixed in among the commoners, there'll be a waterfowl rarity. So it was today, and though Snow Geese, the mostly white beauties with black wing tips, are anything but rare in the Midwest, they're an unusual sight in our area, and stand out in dramatic contrast to their abundant mixed-flock-mates. If the Snows can be said to have a season around here, it's now, in late winter, when the white birds arrive to spend a week or two hanging out by the corn fields and try to fatten up in anticipation of a migratory push to the breeding and nursery areas of the north.