Mar 6, 2005 5 min read

KLEINFELTERSVILLE, Lebanon County – Although their name connotes winter and the latest round of snow storms has covered up many signs of spring’s approach, snow geese by the tens of thousands have been converging on the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area. Their arrival is an undeniable sign that spring is around the corner. Over the past two weeks, spring has been inching closer. Daylight hours have been increasing. Migratory birds such as robins, grackles and blackbirds have returned. Even an occasional groundhog has been spotted. All are true signs of spring. Now, the snow geese are coming. Surely, the birds cannot be wrong. Could they?

“Although they sometimes head north prematurely, snow geese generally have their migration timing down,” explained John Dunn, Game Commission waterfowl biologist. “Their movements north are generally triggered by photoperiod, or the length of daylight in a day, and the availability of open water for resting, and snow-free fields for feeding.

“If snow geese encounter difficulty finding food and open water, they may retreat southward until they find accommodations more to their liking. It’s pretty much the way all migratory birds behave at this time of year.”

Heading into this past weekend, an estimated 115,000 snow geese and 4,500 tundra swans were hanging out at Middle Creek. The birds can be observed working the fields for food and resting on the large impoundment. They usually honk up a storm – no pun intended – regardless of what they are doing, and aren’t necessarily flighty. Wildlife watchers who keep their distance and use spotting scopes or binoculars, generally get quite a show. If something spooks the geese, they’ll take to the wing, creating an incredible scene you soon won’t forget.

Snow geese migrate north from states south of Pennsylvania to the eastern Arctic region in spring. In the early 1990s, snow geese came to Middle Creek in relatively limited numbers. Then, in 1997, a phenomenal 150,000 snows blanketed the management area’s fields and large impoundment, and the birds have been visiting in large numbers pretty much ever since then. The Atlantic Flyway population of snow geese currently numbers about 700,000.

The tundra swan’s occupation of Middle Creek parallels that of snow geese. Traditionally, swans leaving their wintering ground further south used to stage on the Susquehanna River, and when they were ready, headed north. Now, Middle Creek has become a migratory staging area that is used each spring by several thousand tundra swans.

Since its creation in the 1970s, Middle Creek, also known as State Game Lands 46, in Lebanon and Lancaster counties just south of Kleinfeltersville, has become a critically important migratory bird stopover and staging area. The 6,000-acre property also contains a 400-acre lake and a wide variety of waterfowl-friendly potholes, ponds and wetlands.

“Middle Creek was created about 30 years ago to help waterfowl primarily and other wildlife,” said Vern Ross, Game Commission executive director. “It has become a critically-important Atlantic Flyway stopover for tens of thousands of migrating waterfowl and an over-wintering location for waterfowl. It also provides nesting grounds for many declining species of grassland-nesting birds and has a resident pair of bald eagles.

“What has made Middle Creek so vital to waterfowl is its habitat diversity,” Ross said. “Middle Creek is a shining example of progressive wildlife management. Through wildlife plantings, habitat enhancements, and wetland creation and manipulation, Middle Creek has been molded into an area that now rivals the Susquehanna River in waterfowl appeal. It has evolved into a waterfowl oasis in a section of the Atlantic Flyway dominated by intensive farming and development.”

Snow geese weigh six to eight pounds and have a four- to five-foot wingspan. Tundra swans weigh 14 to 18 pounds and have a six- to-seven-foot wingspan. Both species feed on waste grain, winter wheat shoots and grasses, and aquatic vegetation.

“Toward sunset, waterfowl by the thousands converge on the main impoundment, so long as there’s open water,” says Jim Binder, Middle Creek’s resident manager. “The sunset return, as well as the sunrise liftoff, are about the only movements we can predict snow geese and tundra swans will make. When they may arrive, where they go to feed and how long they stay at Middle Creek are strictly up to the birds and closely related to weather conditions.”

Visitors planning to see waterfowl up-close should bring a pair of binoculars or a spotting scope. Sometimes the birds will feed quite near roads. If you encounter a bird close to the road, approach slowly and keep noise to a minimum. However, do not go beyond the “no entry” signs.

Middle Creek’s visitor center, which houses a large wildlife exhibit, is a good first-stop for newcomers. Located just off Hopeland Road near the lake’s western shore, the visitor center is staffed and open to the public six days a week. Its schedule is: Tuesdays through Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. The center is closed on Mondays.

In addition to snows and tundras, Middle Creek offers other wildlife viewing opportunities. Canada geese can be found throughout the area. Black ducks, mallards and shovelers cruise the impoundments along with many other ducks. Northern harriers, or marsh hawks, patrol the fields. A pair of bald eagles hang out along the southern shore and eastern end of the lake.

Bluebirds also are very busy inspecting roadside bluebird boxes for the upcoming nesting season.

“If you come to Middle Creek, you will see wildlife,” Binder said. “But it’s always best to come early or late in the day. That’s when things are happening. That’s prime time.”