Audubon-sponsored field trip to Freezeout Lake offers 'spectacular' sight
<p>A collection of snow geese head out from the ponds of Freezeout Lake toward the fields to feed in the early morning hours of Sunday, April 1, near Choteau.</p>
<p>A collection of snow geese head out from the ponds of Freezeout Lake toward the fields to feed in the early morning hours of Sunday, April 1, near Choteau.</p>
<p>Snow geese come to land in a field near Freezeout Lake on Sunday morning, April 1, near Choteau.</p>
<p>Snow geese take off from a field near Freezeout Lake near Choteau April 1.</p>
<p>A ring-billed gull comes in for a landing at Pond 3 at Freezeout Lake on Saturday afternoon, March 31, near Choteau.</p>
CHOTEAU — In the low light of predawn on April 1, a string of cars takes off from a parking lot in Choteau, heading south toward Freezeout Lake.
Sunrise is still half an hour away, but this is one of the best times to see the large numbers of snow geese and other waterfowl that migrate through the area each spring.
This is day two of the annual Flathead Audubon Freezeout Lake field trip. Shortly after sunrise, the caravan comes to an open field filled with feeding geese.
It’s a beautiful sight.
For some, this moment was the highlight of the trip.
“My favorite moment was at Pond One waiting for the geese to take off,” said Doug Chestnut of Lakeside.
“We waited and then followed them out onto one of those gravel roads, and when we parked and they began to take off and fly right over us — that brought a tear to my eye. It was spectacular.”
The pure white birds with their black-tipped wings noisily congregate. In the background, the snow-capped Rocky Mountain Front is clearly visible and makes for a magical setting.
A sense of wonder and awe seems to fill the birdwatchers and silence them. Everything becomes about taking in this experience.
According to Chestnut, the number of geese was down this year. The group estimated seeing upwards of 200,000 on a previous trip. On this trip, Chestnut estimated seeing between 20,000 and 30,000 geese.
In spite of the low numbers, the group still considered the trip worthwhile.
Betty Kuropat of Columbia Falls, a forester with Flathead National Forest, had a different favorite moment. After the morning feeding, Kuropat went to Pond Three to see the geese return from feeding.
“It was so incredible,” she said. “There were just so many geese filling up the entire sky, and they just kept coming and coming.”
Kuropat has wanted to do this trip for years but was never able to get the timing right. She and others from the trip will be taking part in the upcoming Wings Across the Big Sky Bird Festival coming to Kalispell in June.
For more information on the festival and future trips to Freezeout Lake, visit www.flatheadaudubon.org.
Photographer Brenda Ahearn may be reached at 758-4435 or at bahearn@dailyinterlake.com.