Steadily,silently,winter grows thick over the north country, deep snow suffocates everything that glowed in the warm autumn colors only a few weeks before. Thick ice surrounded by bent cattail and crushed bulrushes are all that remain of the fall marsh. Gone are the blue winged teal, wood duck and other fair weather waterfowl. They reside in the far south along with red wing blackbirds and bluebirds. Thousands of miles from winter's cold grasp they luxuriate in the salubrious climate, escaping the wintry wind and freezing temperatures that chased them from their summer range.
Only the hardy linger. Frozen marshes and snow covered fields matter little to goldeneye, merganser, flight mallards and Canada geese. Diving ducks can find food by swimming underwater and dining on submurged vegetation and geese are adept at shoveling through a foot of snow to find food. Mallards are always reluctant to fly further south than necessary to find food. Somehow these gamebirds survive winter, exposed to brutal elements day and night, until spring brings luxuriant warmth. But there is one important element that is the key to survival for winter waterfowl-a roost.
To a Canada goose a roosting site is paramount to survival. Winter winds can bring snow, sub-zero freezing temperatures and brutal conditions that a goose can handle with ease. But, open water is a necessity that dictates if waterfowl stay in the area. If waterways freese, the birds migrate. Most roosts are found on the rivers or streams during winter. However, it is not uncommon for large open water on a pond or lake by perpetually swimming.
At other times they huddle in large groups, with enough birds to actually generate enough body heat to keep water from freezing. But when persistent sub-zero temperatures make it impossible for wild birds to restrain the encroaching ice, waterfowl will take flight in search of open water. Often they regroup where waters tumble or flow, all that is required is nothing but a trickle.
Many hunters go south for the winter. Most that remain stay nestled snugly in warm homes, recalling the season just past, dreaming of reunions and wishing for the turn of the seasons when life leaps from the warming earth in sweet smells, sounds, lush green colors and the birds turn back. Though the winter elements chase a lot of waterfowlers indoors, the most rugged outdoorsmen revel in quiet pursuit of giant Canada geese on icy waterways and snow covered fields.
The cold weather waterfowler's spirit is fixed upon the coming season, the rhythmic pace of his sporting life takes on a quicker tempo. He knows that in order to succeed he must be prepared, ready, for the day of reunion. He also knows that persistent scouting and frequent journeys to local roosting sites are necessary to pattern the flight characteristics of local geese. Often birds leave the roost for distant feeding locations during mid-morning, come nightfall they come trickling back in flocks frantic to regroup on the open water.
It is always exciting to watch geese returning to roost. Silently, steadily comes the evening glow as the sun dips below the crimson horizon. Then, there is a distant singular honking that quickly erupts into a booming chorus as flocks of frantic geese poor from the heavens. The tranquil, peaceful, snow lined waterway is suddenly chopped with flopping wings and splashing webbed feet as huge birds splash down and countless others continue dancing above the treetops, gliding, dipping and swirling like a huge feathered tornado.
The roost renews the waterfowler's spirit, filling with the joy, warmth and deep-seated appreciation of wild places and wild things. For the honest waterfowler, the experience of witnessing the swirling mass of birds is proof positive the great outdoors is never more alive. The reunion of the waterfowler and waterfowl rekindles an old friendship. It refreshes the warm feeling that all is well in the great outdoors and provides sweet memories that the hunter will cherish for a lifetime.
Article written by Mr. Kenny Darwin
Published in Woods-N-Water News Magazine January 2001.
