This was a much better day for the Snow Geese — better than my last visit to Snow Goose Central. Hunting season is done, and all of the goose shooting on Fir Island is now camera-only.

I started off at this field with one other photographer, and by the time I left, there were six of us, plus a load of SUVs [illegally] lined up on the road shoulder for photo ops.

We were waiting for the geese to do a big fly-over but they were extraordinarily calm for Snow Geese. In my two hours at the field, they burst into the air just once as a Navy jet buzzed Fir Island and startled the flock. Otherwise, they grazed their way to within meters of where we were standing, with a backdrop of blue sky and Mt. Baker Snow.

Goose-o-Rama

I stitched together this panorama from six photos. I had six additional photos shot to the right of this group, and five to the left. So, what you see here amounts to about a third of the geese present in this area. There were more geese in a farther field behind this flock.

Click on the image for a larger size of this panorama, then click again for the full-sized photo.

Skagit Snow Goose Panorama
Snow Goose Flock Resting on Fir Island
Fir Island Snow Geese in Flight
Snow Geese in Flight on Fir Island
Fir Island Snow Geese with Mountain Backdrop
Great Blue Heron Flying Past Snow Goose Flock