It happens every fall in my neighborhood of Dakotaland; thousands of geese populate nearby lakes and adjacent harvested cornfields for the weeks before the Big Freeze, a time of plenty for birders like me to enjoy the remarkable numbers and variety of waterfowl and other birds. This year the late season was extended about 2 weeks beyond the norm, always a joy, but inevitably an ultra-cold Alberta clipper storm system blows in from the northwest and overnight we get a blizzard that defines the beginning of winter. And that happened last Tuesday as I was in the process of publishing last week’s issue of The Birding Wire.

Searching for corn kernels below the newly fallen snow, a momentarily alerted flock provided one of the last looks at the Snow Geese of 2025. Clear morning sunlight provided perfect color reproduction a few miles from home on the way to Thanksgiving festivities (450mm zoom lens, f-11 aperture, 1/4000 shutter speed, 800 ISO).

Extremes of deep snow and frozen wetlands pushed the geese south in an abrupt and hurried fashion. It’s an interesting period to witness, and like all things where extreme weather and birds interplay, the results are different every year. Now, a week later, after the last flocks of Snow Geese were migrating high overhead in a due south direction, I want to share a few of the photos I took of flocks of geese on both sides of that very immediate and extreme weather transition, after the snowfall and deep freeze, and before the defining blizzard.

An f-11 aperture provided a broader area in focus to show a larger portion of the feeding flock that returned only one more day before being pressed southward by a second snowstorm with even colder temperatures. Did you pick out the Ross’s Goose positioned just right of center in this image? (350mm zoom lens, f-11 aperture, 1/2500 shutter speed, 800 ISO.)

An f-11 aperture provided a broader area in focus to show a larger portion of the feeding flock that returned only one more day before being pressed southward by a second snowstorm with even colder temperatures. Did you pick out the Ross’s Goose positioned just right of center in this image? (350mm zoom lens, f-11 aperture, 1/2500 shutter speed, 800 ISO.)

Trying to keep as many geese in focus as possible, I dialed the aperture to f-14 as small flocks took flight to join others for an afternoon feeding bout (600mm zoom lens, f-14 aperture, 1/1250 shutter speed, 800 ISO).

A diversity of Snow Goose plumages is evident among the adults and juveniles resting in prime mid-afternoon sunlight 3 days before the deep freeze would begin (600mm zoom lens, f-14 aperture, 1/1000 shutter speed, 800 ISO).

The final morning of November revealed only portions of ice-free water on the last lake open for waterfowl, which held many more Tundra Swans than geese – a first for the region. A mix of bright morning sunlight that turned the sky a lighter shade of blue and the reflection of sunlight from the snow and ice below created an especially bright view and photograph of Tundra Swans that flew overhead (600mm zoom lens, f-7 aperture, 1/4000 shutter speed, 800 ISO).

Late Sunday morning, the last big lake that still had sections of open water was mostly covered with ice, and to my surprise it was primarily populated by swans, standing on the ice or swimming behind a light veil of rising steam, with their unique calls emanating lightly from within. From that ethereal view flew small flocks of the big white swans, catching the morning light and surrounded by the brightest light-blue sky. A significant flock of Tundra Swans flew directly toward me before swinging broadside above my standing position in the crisp 6 degree morning freeze. Almost 40 Tundra Swans swept their wings as elegantly as only swans can in a performance of beauty and splendor, as if to mark the last day of open water in my memory. The first day of December would find the lake’s surface closed for swimming by a cover of ice – and the last swans escaped via the winter-blue sky.

Article and Photographs by Paul Konrad

Share your bird photos and birding experiences at editorstbw2@gmail.com