Want to see 80,000 snow geese? No problem for Harrison photographer at Middle Creek

A Harrison couple recently witnessed one of the state’s most dramatic natural spectacles — tens of thousands of migrating snow geese at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster and Lebanon counties.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission, which manages Middle Creek, reports large crowds visiting to see the massive migration of snow geese headed for their breeding grounds in the Canadian and Northern Alaskan tundra.

The commission reported afternoon totals of more than 100,000 snow geese during some days this week.

Dave and Kathy Brooke of Harrison were among the throngs of observers. This is their fifth year of taking in the spectacle.

“When you see 100,000 snow geese take off at the same time and hear the clatter of all of them calling, it is exhilarating,” said Dave Brooke, a photographer. Last year, the Brookes saw 175,000 birds in one day.

When Brooke tried to take a picture of the birds in flight, he said, “you have trouble finding space in between the birds. It’s a wonder they are not crashing into one another.”

When the Brookes arrived to see the geese at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, hoping to avoid the weekend crowds, the parking lot already was full.

The couple saw as many as 80,000 geese at one time on their recent trip. Brooke said there are other birds that put on a show as well, including about 850 tundra swans.

“When they take off and fly across the sky with their long necks, they are majestic.”

Bald eagles also make the scene exciting.

When an eagle flies into the flock of geese to chase something, it causes the whole flock to fly.

“It’s like a murmuration event, they fly this way and that way, they fly around and then land again,” Brooke said. “You can stand there and be entertained for hours.”

The peak of migration might be over in the next week or so as temperatures increase, the commission reported Friday.

The commission, along with HDOnTap, has set up a live webcam of Middle Creek to view the migration.