Winter is a stressful time to be a wild animal. Colder temperatures, scarcity of food, and freezing water sources increase the difficulty of survival. Most wild animals follow one of three methods to make it through the winter: tolerate, hibernate, or migrate. Even within the same species, different groups of that animal may remain in different locations for the winter.
Canada geese are great example of one kind of bird with several different winter options. Canada geeses are usually migratory. That means that
every fall they leave their summer homes and fly hundreds (or even thousands!) or miles south to spend the winter somewhere warmer. In the spring, they must fly all the way back from their winter grounds to return to their summer homes to build nests and lay eggs.
Canada geese can tolerate a certain amount of cold weather (those down feathers are very warm!). To stay where they are all year long, however, open water where they can feed or find safety from predators is very helpful. As a result, geese living far north in Canada or the northern United States may have to migrate south to find a lake that isn't frozen over for the winter. If the geese live somewhere with a lake large enough and weather mild enough that there is open water even in the winter, then the geese can stay there year round.
Colorado has winters that can be chilly and snowy. Some geese that live here in the summer migrate down to New Mexico to escape the lower temperatures others stay and tolerate the cold. In comparison to parts of Canada, Colorado winters are milder. Most Canadian geese that live Canada migrate. Some flocks stop and stay in Colorado all season, while other flocks continue further south for even milder weather. As a result Colorado acts as a winter-only home for some geese, a summer-only home for others, and a year round home for some geese who do not migrate at all!
Next time you are at a park or field, keep your eyes open for Canada geese. South Platte Park has a flock of its own right now, if you want an idea of where to look. Try to remember if you have seen this flock there before. Do you think they are vistors, just stopping in on a migratory break, or year-round residents? Chances are, they may have been flapping over mountains and valleys, rivers and dry plains just to be where they are today!
Check out our pages below for related ideas for classroom activities, parent/child activities, or crafts.
Upcoming programs related to this topic:
02/12/12-Home School Day: Winter Ecology, Ages 6-11,10am-12pm
02/14/12-Cooley Lake Hike
02/16/12-MLK Day Camp: Winter Wonders, Ages 6-11, 8:30am-4:30pm
By Request: Animal Detectives (School, Scout, and Group Programs)
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