Canadian Geese flying north?

I live in England and earlier this week heard a flock of geese flying over, looked up and noticed they were flying North. Not a huge flock (around 30-40) but enough to tell they were migratory. I thought it strange but not worthy of posting on here but this thread stood out to me. Thought I'd let ya know it's happening over the pond too. May be insignificant but strange all the same.

Interesting - I was going to post about this a few weeks ago.

During a recent visit to Inverness in Scotland, I noticed thousands of geese each day/evening (not sure if they were Canadian geese since they didn't carry passports) flying EAST towards Norway. Now, whilst Scotland may not be the warmest place on the planet (anything above 5'c tends to be a heatwave), I'm pretty sure it's warmer than the North Sea or Norway!

Interestingly, I witnessed them flying in the same direction whilst at home here in the East Midlands in England.

That reminds me of what I saw a few weeks ago. I was walking and noticed what I think were starlings (they were flying too high up for me to really tell) flying north. (I live in northern Maine.) I thought it was weird to see birds flying north at this time of year. But what really got me, was the sheer number of these birds. I followed them back with my eyes and could not believe how LONG this line of birds were (I couldn't see the end of the pack) and there were SO many of them, they looked like a swarm of bees, creating a smokey effect. Ya know? Would have been a perfect scene for the movie "The Birds" :p


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

yesterday i saw hundreds of canadian geese they were seriously confused flying around in circles then heading south east for a bit then breaking formation and circling again .. by the way im in northern spain

honestly its the oddest behaviour ive ever seen geese perform i saw 1 lot in formation fly over head then break and circle i said to my neighbour after the first lot went over they look very mixed up they were flying in eratic circles then forming up a v heading south east then breaking and repeating the eratic behaviour .. after watching the first lot i saw another bunch coming 5 mins later or so said to my neighbour watch this i bet they screw up when they get to this point here and pointed to just above our heads and sure enough they flew over broke u and circled like they were dizzy or something . i wished i filmed it especially after seeing this thread but i just sat there in a deck chair drinkin a beer watching it .

reply to post by Northwarden


isint illegal to kill the geeses are they not protected?

Its not a crackpot theory that the megnetosphere is collapsing. Magnetic north pole is shifting at an exponential factor of 4, (10km last year, 40km this year). The strength of earths magnetic field has decreased by 15% in the last 150 years, though that might not sound like much, the last time it was recharged was the last magnetic pole flip 10000yrs ago. There are giant holes in the magnetosphere, some 3 times the size of earth, moving in an eratic fashion. And this is all 6 month old news, I think magnetosphere news is now blacklisted. Birds and fish are dying on mass scales because their natural compass is terribly confused. The coming solar flare will causes pole flip. Aztec return of Quetzalcoatl, Mayan return Kulcan, return of Jesus Christ all one in the same the Feathered Serpant. The Feathered Serpent the strings and filaments of a massive solar flare. A few percent should survive.

There have been several cases of all sorts of species going north during the winter time.
In the case of both Dr. Frederic A. Cook and Rear Admiral Robert E. Perry (both men claiming to be the first men to "reach" the north pole) and then later the famous Rear Admiral Byrd - they noticed, to their surprise, animals heading north into the cold - instead of south where it is supposed to be warmer.

The theory is that it is actually warmer the more north you go, there are several books and explorers who talk about their experiences and theories of a hollow earth, or at least, of a paradise-like area at the north pole.

I'm sure I'll get slammed - but if you go to different "satellite earth" sites - (Google, Living Earth, etc) you will find slight variations on where the white starts and where it stops, and I am usually unable to go precisely north on any of these programs - I feel like it always stops at the edge.

That's my 2 cents. (which is worth less than 2 cents nowadays)

HUh, now that you mention it we usually begin to see and hear them flying over here in the Midwest US about now or even before, it is a bit odd that the first ones have not passed over yet honking on through.

I will save this thread and report back when they come through.

Originally posted by TDawgRex
Oh, and Canada? Please stop sending your geese this way...I'm sick of stepping in their crap. I blame you!

sorry, can't do much about that, but you could help cull the darned things, is illegal to kill them here, and they are massively overpopulated to the point where they huddle in doorways like homeless people and nest in store parking lots (no water for a long way).

Originally posted by generik
sorry, can't do much about that, but you could help cull the darned things, is illegal to kill them here

That's not true.

Living in perfect summer country for the Canada Goose, when the open season begins on them, the early morning air rings with gunfire for miles around.

reply to post by puggtiracer


Funny you say that, my fiancee asked if they were rejected at the boarder


These were Canadian Geese, not Snow Geese from what I can tell.

To the poster who requested I make a compass, I can certainly attempt it, but it may take some time. My fiancee read the links, not I, so I will go back and review them.

As for it being more warmer further North, I have not looked into that yet but will do so when I have the extra time tonight.

I am greatly thankful for all your replies, flags, and stars, and definitely intend to do more research to see what else I can come up with. In the main time, I am watching the skies to see if I can notice any other unusual behaviour. Maybe I will go visit the geese who seem to be perched at this local park later today with my daughter and see what they are up to. This time I will get more pictures.

Easy enough to explain. I'm right on the boarder with Ottawa Ontario, the Geese a flying north only because they are ridding the last southern winds of the season and gathering to prepare for their full migration south.

Here we do however have about 200 to 300 that stick around the boat marina where the water does not completely freeze, some people have take to feeding them every day so the Geese have decided that migrating was no longer necessary.

I have seen the gooses fly but how do i know if its north?

Could it be something is wrong with the magnetic poles?
Good post.

up untill a few years agaio it was the female geese that lead the party south but getting tired of the males not putting in as much effort they decided to let the males lead .
Well this is what happens we all know US men just cant ask directions

Originally posted by Trexter Ziam
I've seen geese fly North instead of South in the Winter. It does happen.

I read that all types of geese don't migrate, some do and some don't. I don't know if that is true or not.

So, I presume we are talking "Canadian Geese" which do migrate.

Some possible ideas as to why they may be headed North instead of South:

1. Electromagnetic disturbances (recent solar flares cause these). Their inner radar depends on electromagnetics.

2. They will head to "warmer" climates so perhaps it is warmer North of them. If it's temporary, they may head South later on. Maybe the head Goose decided it was too early to head South.

3. EXTREME drought down here in Texas and many other Southern States. There's no food for them when they get here. They used to gather in rice fields after a harvest and clean up the remains. Rice farms are generally irrigated; but, lakes and water reservoirs are drying up severaly here so many rice farmers MIGHT have skipped planting this year.

I'm not sure if I have noticed large numbers of geese (or other birds), apparently migrating in large numbers in the wrong direction. But I do know that quite a large number of Canada geese overwinter in southern Ontario. I can remember seeing lots of Canada geese in Guelph Ontario all winter, and this was back in the 1980s. I would think that with a general trend of warmer winters, that you would have larger numbers of Canada geese staying north over the winter, plus we might be seeing their winter range extending further north.

I have also heard that there has been an explosion in the populations of Canada geese. So much so that they want to conduct mass culls in areas such as New York state, where they are a genuine aviation hazard (can cause large commercial jets to crash if a bird gets sucked into a turbine).

reply to post by bluestreak53


That's pretty crazy but it does appear as there are higher numbers by the year!



I unfortunately did not get a chance to make it to the park that day, but have noticed smaller groups flying north as well. I have yet to see one goose go the direction they usually go here, which is south.

I was more caught up in the massive military helicopters that were circling the city yesterday in training for Remembrance Day ceremonies, I caught a video of them as well. Want to see birds get frightened, send a few of those out!

I'm outside of Montreal; I've only seen the regular pattern this year. Millions of them flying by the St-Lawrence, but that was early October. I notice each year because I'd have to be death and blind not to, but also because it's depressing to watch them go (means winter is headed this way). As usual, they gathered by the millions around the Plaisance observatory (west and slightly north, closer to Ottawa) around Thanksgiving weekend (which is in October in Canada). So many of them, you could walk through with a baseball bat and get enough to feed an army. That's just getting to the river and back, not slaughtering all of them.

I have noticed a few flocks these past 2 weeks. Latecomers. But they are also flying in the same directions. Understand, because I'm a block away from the St-Lawrence, they arrive from all directions and gather north-west from here.

reply to post by andriod

Range Canada geese breed all through North America, with the exception of the high Arctic and the extreme southern parts of the United States and Mexico. Some flocks winter in southern Canada, from British Columbia to southwestern Ontario to the Maritime provinces. They are only found in these areas if food and open water is available. Otherwise, the majority travel farther south to the United States, or even to northeastern Mexico.

www.canadiangeographic.ca...

In winter, Geese can remain in northern areas with some open water and food resources even where temperatures are extremely cold. Geese breeding in the northernmost reaches of their range tend to migrate long distances to winter in the more southerly parts of the range, whereas geese breeding in southern Canada and the conterminous United States migrate shorter distances or not at all.

Migrating flocks generally include loose aggregations of family groups and individuals, in both spring and fall. Flights usually begin at dusk, but may begin anytime of day, and birds fly both night and day. They move in a V formation, with experienced individuals taking turns leading the flock.

www.allaboutbirds.org...

Although an increasing number of Canada Geese are choosing to winter in Canada, especially in urban areas, the majority fly south to the United States and even Mexico.

www.kidzone.ws...

The spectacle of Canada Geese migrating in long, honking, irregular “V” formations across spring or autumn skies is always thrilling. It is one of the most dramatic portents of the change of seasons in Canada. Flying in diagonal lines or “V” formations serves at least two purposes. The most important is that it helps the geese save energy and permits them to fly longer distances. Scientists believe that Canada Geese fly in a “V” because of the “drafting” effect, where the follower goose, like a cyclist in a race, benefits from the air currents passing the leader, and thus expends less energy flying. A secondary function of the formation is to coordinate the flock’s movements, allowing changes in flight speed or direction to be communicated quickly and efficiently to all members of the flock.

www.hww.ca...


They do stay put for the winter in certain areas - and they tend to move from one place to another during the day - so they still take off and form large skeins. The odd shapes you see aren't really odd at all - especially when there are so many in the air at once. If you watch them, they'll shift in and out of different 'V' formations as they move - beautiful to watch - and to hear :-)

sorry about the information overkill - but sometimes information is useful if it can help ease people's minds about something being seriously wrong

I live in Edmonton, Alberta. Today and also last week I noticed the exact same thing. The geese are not even flying in their typical flying patterns, they seem extremely confused. Flying directly north. This is bothersome to me. I have also noticed while feeding a lot of geese this summer that they are seeming a bit smaller than average. What's really going on with our world.