Skagit Valley, WA

Skagit Delta is one of the major wintering grounds for waterfowl in North America. The most numerous bird population that winters in the valley is snow goose. In recent years, their annual count in Washington often exceeds 50,000. Birding enthusiasts and nature photographers can observe giant flocks of geese creating spectacular displays against the green grass and mountains on the backdrop.

Every fall, geese travel impressive 3,000 miles (4,828 km) from their nesting grounds on Wrangel Island in Russia to Skagit Valley, arriving in early October. About 12,000 birds spend the whole winter in Skagit valley and leave in early spring. The rest of the snow geese head further south, to California's Central Valley, to spend winter months there.

I went to locations where a flock of 10,000+ birds were sighted just a day or two before my arrival, but they had moved on and I never could find the huge gathering. The trophy photo of a massive flock taking flight and virtually blocking out the sky evaded me this trip.