FIFTH ANNUAL HIGH PLAINS SNOW GOOSE FESTIVAL
The city of Lamar and the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) will co-host the fifth annual “High Plains Snow Goose Festival,” the weekend of February 23-25. 2007. The festival offers an outstanding opportunity to celebrate snow geese and other wildlife in southeast Colorado. In addition to thousands of migrating snow geese, there are many other bird species to view including a large number of eagles that winter in southeast Colorado.
This year’s event will also mark the official kick-off of the Colorado Birding Trail. The Birding Trail project offers bird enthusiasts dozens of bird watching opportunities across the state.
Snow geese are considered the most abundant goose in the world. Thousands of the large, white birds move through eastern Colorado during their spring migration so wildlife enthusiasts have set aside a weekend to honor these stately birds.
Participants can pre-registration at the Lamar Chamber of Commerce web site at http://www.lamarchamber.com/goose/index.htm
The weekend features a wide variety of educational and wildlife viewing seminars. Highlights include guided tours at sunset on Saturday and sunrise on Sunday. In previous years, bird enthusiasts have been able to watch thousands of snow geese land and take-off as they come and go between feeding grounds and roosting sites.
Other activities include nature hikes, a craft fair, a history programs, a Wildlife Viewing Skills seminar and a banquet with a keynote address by noted author Pete Dunne. Dunne is the founder of the World Series of Birding and Director of the Cape May Bird Observatory in New Jersey. He has written numerous books about birding. Dunne will also host a workshop on how to attract birds and will lead a raptor identification tour.
Wildlife biologists estimate there are least six million lesser snow geese in North America that are divided into four distinct populations. The lesser snow geese that bird watchers will see at the High Plains Snow Goose Festival are part of the Western Central Flyway population. The flock winters in southeastern Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, the Texas panhandle and northern Mexico. In late spring, the birds form enormous flocks before they head back to their summer nesting grounds in the Canadian Arctic.
Lesser snow geese come in two different color phases within the same species. In the white phase, the geese are as white as snow except for the black wing tips. The other phase, called blue geese, is slate gray with a white head. Both have a dark “grinning patch” on the sides of their bill. Mixed in the flocks of snow geese you may find some Ross’ geese, which look very much like snow geese except that they are two-thirds the size of snow geese and do not have the grinning patch. Ross’ geese weigh between 3 - 4 pounds while snow geese weigh between 5 - 6 pounds.
In the arctic, snow geese graze on grass and-sedges that grow on the tundra. While migrating through the prairies of North America, they will also feed on leftover grain in the fields.
Festival participants are urged to dress appropriately to ensure their comfort on the on the outdoor tours. Organizers suggest bringing a camera, binoculars, bird identification book, sunglasses, layered clothing, a hat and raingear.
“The weather in southeastern Colorado is difficult to predict at this time of year, so it’s best to be prepared for all kinds of conditions,” said Linda Groat, an educational specialist with the DOW. “We have been known to have every kind of weather from sunny days in the mid-60’s to wet weather with some snow, it’s best to be prepared for everything. As the old saying goes, if you don’t like the weather in Colorado, wait a few minutes and it will change.”
Groat notes that the event has a variety of indoor sessions for those who might not want to brave the weather on the outdoor wildlife viewing tours.
To inquire about festival activities, please call (719) 336-4379.