secondary goose migration

[oilguy]

During the past few days have there has been a strong secondary migation of non-nesting Canada geese. I've noticed this for the past 3-4 years at about the same time in the late spring. Is this something relatively new, or have I just missed observing it in the past?

[icehousebob]

Two days ago, I saw a flight of close to a hundred honkers over Minnetonka. This really surprised me because I thought that by now they would have all molted their flight feathers. One book I read said that the young that don't nest travel farther up north than their birthplaces and molt earlier. Then before the fall migration, they travel back to their birthplace areas and migrate with their home flock. I think the increase of non-migrating geese have screwed up the patterns.

[Sartell Angler]

I too have noticed this secondary migration...two large flocks flew over our baseball field wednesday night heading north...first "flock" of geese I have seen in a couple months. Apparently there are certain areas that these geese congregate each spring / summer before they prepare for their fall migration.

SA

[Gissert]

Lots of good size flocks milling around the Fergus/Underwood areas right now. Happens every year, but this seems a bit early.

[big drift]

What you are seeing now is the molt migration of juvenile birds from down south. They are heading up north for th esummer before banding into late season migration flocks. Next year they will be the early arrivers for the breeding grounds. This is a taditional migration which occurs annually and based on when the majority of juvenile birds

molt. Hope that helps.

big drift

[oilguy]

So, assuming birds are of the Giant subspecies and we have local juvenile flocks around all summer, it appears we have a migratory race of birds and another sub-race that doesn't make a molt migration. Zis possible?

[ChuckN]

I've noticed them too, oilguy. I have seen this for several years, right around Memorial weekend every year I watch the migration north.