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Sparkmeister's Monthly Newsletter: - December 2003
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Well, here we are at the end of another year. I want to take
this opportunity to wish you and your family all the best for the
holiday season and a happy new year!
Remember, if at any time you have questions or comments, please
email me at: . I look forward to hearing from
you.
If you received this copy of the Sparkmeister's Newsletter as a
forward from another reader and you would like to receive future
issues, click on the following link, and put the word
subscribe in the
subject line of the message, then click send.
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NOTE:
This month, I have done a major re-design of the Sparkmeister
website. The purpose of this re-design is to make browsing the
site easier. Please drop me a line and let me know what you
think of the new design. Thanks!
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Featured Image of the Month - Snow Geese in Flight
Click this link to view the image of the month:
http://www.sparkmeister.com/nl/12-03/monthly.htm
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A great compensation for the dominant gray of a Northwest winter
is the availability of so many migratory bird species. The vast
reaches of the Frasier and Skagit River Deltas serve as wintering
grounds for hundreds of thousands of ducks and geese and swans.
A really spectacular sight on a cold winter day is a flock of 20
thousand Snow Geese moving from one of their favorite feeding
grounds to another. Sometimes these moves are short, from one
field to another and accomplished by countless small migrations
of 10 - 20 - 30 birds at a time lifting off from one grazing
group, circling lazily and landing with another. If one watches
for a while, a subtle order becomes apparent. In these shorter
moves, the birds farthest from the destination seem to move
first.
At other times, the entire flock explodes from the ground
accompanied by a cacophony of honks and bleats that borders on
alarming. (Be sure to check out the video on this month’s other
images page.) Anyone who has ever seen Alfred Hitchcock's "The
Birds" cannot help but think, at least for a moment, about what
would happen if this power were directed at us. These incredible
bursts of bird energy are usually triggered by the presence of
some predator species, frequently a bald eagle. Once again, a
subtle order imposed on chaos is observable. In the midst of
upwards of 20 thousand individuals, all circling and honking
furiously, exists some mysterious air traffic control system.
Never does one see collisions! Somehow, these birds sense each
other's presence and share the air space. This can be especially
fascinating if one has driven the freeway on the way to observe
them.
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Some other images of the Snow Geese may be observed at:
http://www.sparkmeister.com/nl/12-03/other.htm
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I have created a simple map which you can find at:
http://www.sparkmeister.com/nl/12-03/Misc/map.jpg
On this map, I have marked some of the most common places to
observe the snow geese in the Skagit Valley. I've also included
some likely spots for observing trumpeter swans. While not as
dramatic in their behavior, these birds are also a real treat to
see.
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Links to some other interesting Sites
An afternoon with the Snow Geese:
http://www.rainieraudubon.org/wing/skagit-flats.htm
Winter Birds of the Skagit Flats:
http://www.laconnerchamber.com/birds1.htm
Washington Nature Weekends:
http://www.sunnywalter.com/WNW-BookChapterWinter.html
Snow Geese seen here migrate in the Spring to Wrangell Island,
northeast of Siberia, to breed:
http://www.greatnorthern.net/~dye/snow-geese.htm
http://www.wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/hunter/gametrails/snowgeese.htm
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QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS WANTED!
Just a reminder that I would love to have your questions or
comments. If you have a question, chances are that at least
several others have the same one. Send any questions or comments
to me at Thanks!
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Finally, feel free to share this newsletter with anyone you feel
might be interested. Because The Sparkmeister Newsletter is the
copyrighted work of Steve Taylor, I ask that you share it in its
entirety.
Thank You.