Koko News | Animals | 13 Mar 2026

Thousands of Snow Geese Take Flight

AfewdozenbirdwatchersgatheredinthepredawndarknesstowaitforthemomentwhenthousandsofmigratingsnowgeesestoppedhonkingandpreeningtosuddenlytakeflightfromaPennsylvaniareservoir.

數十名觀鳥者聚集在黎明前的黑暗中，等待著成千上萬隻遷徙的雪雁停止鳴叫和梳理羽毛，突然從賓州的一個水庫起飛的那一刻。

Themesmerizingdisplay, aboutanhouraftersunrise, wasoveralmostassoonasitbegan.

日出後大約一個小時，這場迷人的景象便戛然而止，幾乎是剛開始就結束了。

Thebirdscircledafewtimesandthenheadedouttoneighboringfarmfields, seekingunharvestedgrainsandothersustenanceontheirepicannualspringflightnorthwardintoNewYorkstateandQuebec.

這些鳥兒盤旋了幾圈，然後飛往附近的農田，尋找未收割的穀物和其他食物，為它們每年史詩般的春季北遷之旅——飛往紐約州和魁北克省——做準備。

ThePennsylvaniareservoirwasbuiltahalf-centuryagotoattractwaterfowlandovertheyearsthegagglehasgrown.

賓州水庫建於半個世紀前，目的是吸引水禽，多年來，水禽的數量不斷增加。

PennsylvaniaGameCommissionenvironmentaleducationspecialistPaytonMillerdescribeditasaraucousbirdtornadothatliftsoffthewater.

賓州遊戲委員會環境教育專家佩頓米勒將其描述為從水面升起的喧鬧的鳥類龍捲風。

"Allittakesisformetocomeouthereonareallynicemorningwherethere’sahugemorningflightandI’mkindofremindedhowawesomeitistoseesuchalargenumberofsuchabeautifulbird," Millersaid.

「只要在一個陽光明媚的早晨來到這裡，看到一大群鳥兒飛來，我就會再次感受到看到如此眾多美麗的鳥兒是多麼令人驚嘆，」米勒說。

AmongthosetakingitallinwasAdrianBinns, asafariguidefrom Paoli, Pennsylvania, whowenttotheMiddleCreekWildlifeManagementAreafor“thewholeenjoymentofseeingsomethingyoudon’tseeeveryday.

在眾多遊客中，有一位來自賓州帕奧利的野生動物嚮導艾德里安·賓斯，他前往米德爾克里克野生動物管理區是為了「享受看到一些你每天都看不到的東西的樂趣」。

Snowgeesehavebeenarrivingingrowingnumbersatthe 6,300-acre (25 square kilometers) MiddleCreekpropertysincethelate1990s.

自 1990 年代末以來，越來越多的雪雁來到佔地 6,300 英畝（25 平方公里）的米德爾克里克地產。

Atthistimeofyear, theyhavejustspentmonthsalongtheAtlanticcoast, fromNewJerseysouthtotheCarolinas, withmanyofthemoverwinteringontheDelmarvaPeninsulathatformstheChesapeakeBay.

每年的這個時候，它們剛剛在大西洋沿岸度過了幾個月的時間，從新澤西州南部到卡羅來納州，其中許多動物在形成切薩皮克灣的德爾馬瓦半島上越冬。

Theydon’tstaylongatMiddleCreek—it’sjustawaystationontheirjourneytosummerbreedinggroundsintheCanadianArcticandwesternGreenland.

它們不會在米德爾溪停留太久——這只是它們前往加拿大北極和格陵蘭島西部夏季繁殖地途中的一個中轉站。

ButforafewshortweekstheyarethemainattractionatMiddleCreek, whichdrawsabout 150,000 visitorsannually—includingaboutathousandhunters.

但在短短幾週內，它們就成了米德爾克里克的主要景點，每年吸引約 15 萬遊客——其中包括約 1000 名獵人。

ThePennsylvaniaGameCommission, whichownsMiddleCreek, saysabout 100,000 snowgeesewereroostingthereonthebusiestdaylastyear, onparwithrecentpeakactivitybutbelowthesingle-dayrecordofabout 200,000 on Feb. 21, 2018.

擁有米德爾溪的賓州遊戲委員會表示，去年最繁忙的一天，約有 10 萬隻雪雁在那裡棲息，與最近的高峰期持平，但低於 2018 年 2 月 21 日創下的單日約 20 萬隻的紀錄。

Snowgeesearedoingwell, buttheirlargenumbershavecomewithacost.

雪雁數量眾多，但數量龐大也帶來了一些問題。

Accordingtoa2017studypublishedbySpringerNature, greatersnowgeesegrewinpopulationfromabout 3,000 intheearly20thcenturytosome 700,000 bythe1990s.

根據 Springer Nature 於 2017 年發表的一項研究，大雪雁的數量從 20 世紀初的約 3000 隻增長到 20 世紀 90 年代的約 70 萬隻。

Bysomeestimates, thereareaboutamillionofthebirdsnow—alongwithmaybe10millionoflessersnowgeese, whicharesmaller—thatalsobreedintheArctic.

據估計，目前約有 100 萬隻這種鳥，以及約 1,000 萬隻體型較小的雪雁，它們也在北極繁殖。

ThenumberofmigratingtundraswansatMiddleCreek, whilefarlower, hasalsoincreasedovertime, fromadozenorsointhemid-1970sto 5,000 ormoreinrecentyears.

米德爾溪的遷徙苔原天鵝數量雖然遠低於其他地區，但隨著時間的推移也有所增加，從 20 世紀 70 年代中期的十幾隻增加到近年來的 5000 隻或更多。

MiddleCreekbirdershavealsoidentifiedmorethan280birdspeciesonthesite, amongthembaldeagles, northernharriers, ospreysandowls.

米德爾克里克觀鳥者還在該地發現了 280 多種鳥類，包括白頭鷹、北鷂、魚鷹和貓頭鷹。

Assnowgeesenumbershaveboomedinrecentdecades, wildlifeofficialsinthe U.S. and Canadahavenavigatedabalancingactinvolvinghuntingregulations, concernsaboutcropdamage, shiftsinsnowgeesemigrationandchangestooverwinteringpatterns.

近幾十年來，雪雁的數量激增，美國和加拿大的野生動物官員一直在努力平衡狩獵法規、農作物損害問題、雪雁遷徙路線的變化以及越冬模式的改變等諸多因素。

EnvironmentaldamagefromovergrazingintheArctichasledexpertstoconcludethebirdsareoverabundant.

北極過度放牧造成的環境破壞導致專家得出結論：這些鳥類數量過多。

DavidM. Bird, aMcGillUniversitywildlifebiologyprofessor, describedthepopulationas“probablyoneofthebiggestconservationproblemsfacingwildlifebiologistsinNorthAmericatoday.

麥基爾大學野生生物學教授大衛·M·伯德將這一種群描述為「當今北美野生生物學家面臨的最大保育問題之一」。

Snowgeesefeedbypullingupplantsbytheroots, whichdamageshabitatsforthemselves, variousbirdsandotherkindsofwildlife.

雪雁以連根拔起植物為食，這會破壞它們本身、各種鳥類和其他野生動物的棲息地。

ThePennsylvaniaGameCommissionreportedrecentlythatavianinfluenzaviruses, presentinthestatesince 2022, continuetocirculateamongthestate’swildbirds.

賓州狩獵委員會最近報告稱，自 2022 年以來在該州出現的禽流感病毒繼續在該州的野生鳥類中傳播。

Thegameagencyaskedforthepublic’shelpinreportingsickordeadwildbirdsandreportedthatabout 2,000 wildbirdcarcasses—mostlysnowgeese—hadtoberemovedfromaquarryafewmilesnorthofBethleheminDecemberandJanuary.

該野生動物管理機構請求公眾幫助報告生病或死亡的野生鳥類，並報告稱，12 月和 1 月期間，在伯利恆以北幾英里的一個採石場，大約有 2000 具野生鳥類屍體（主要是雪雁）被移走。

Birdsaidthatfornaturelovers, snowgeesecanbeadelightbutforfarmers, they’reapest.

伯德說，對於大自然愛好者來說，雪雁是一種令人愉悅的動物，但對農民來說，它們是一種害蟲。

Forhunters, they’refoodbutforanimalrightsadvocates, they’reaspeciesthatneedsprotection, hesaid.

他說，對獵人來說，它們是食物；但對動物權利倡導者來說，它們是需要保護的物種。

“Butifyouareapaidprofessionalwildlifemanageratamunicipal, stateorfederallevelwhosechallengingjobistotrytopleasealloftheaforementionedparties, thenyouwillundoubtedlyexperiencemanysleeplessnightsinthefallwhenthegeesearrive,” Birdsaid.

「但是，如果你是受僱於市、州或聯邦政府的專業野生動物管理人員，你的工作充滿挑戰，需要努力取悅上述所有各方，那麼毫無疑問，當大雁抵達時，你會在秋季經歷許多不眠之夜，」伯德說。

A few dozen birdwatchers gathered in the predawn darkness to wait for the moment when thousands of migrating snow geese stopped honking and preening to suddenly take flight from a Pennsylvania reservoir.

The mesmerizing display, about an hour after sunrise, was over almost as soon as it began.

The birds circled a few times and then headed out to neighboring farm fields, seeking unharvested grains and other sustenance on their epic annual spring flight northward into New York state and Quebec.

The Pennsylvania reservoir was built a half-century ago to attract waterfowl and over the years the gaggle has grown.

Pennsylvania Game Commission environmental education specialist Payton Miller described it as a raucous bird tornado that lifts off the water.

"All it takes is for me to come out here on a really nice morning where there’s a huge morning flight and I’m kind of reminded how awesome it is to see such a large number of such a beautiful bird," Miller said.

Among those taking it all in was Adrian Binns, a safari guide from Paoli, Pennsylvania, who went to the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area for “the whole enjoyment of seeing something you don’t see every day.

Snow geese have been arriving in growing numbers at the 6,300-acre (25 square kilometers) Middle Creek property since the late 1990s.

At this time of year, they have just spent months along the Atlantic coast, from New Jersey south to the Carolinas, with many of them overwintering on the Delmarva Peninsula that forms the Chesapeake Bay.

They don’t stay long at Middle Creek — it’s just a way station on their journey to summer breeding grounds in the Canadian Arctic and western Greenland.

But for a few short weeks they are the main attraction at Middle Creek, which draws about 150,000 visitors annually — including about a thousand hunters.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission, which owns Middle Creek, says about 100,000 snow geese were roosting there on the busiest day last year, on par with recent peak activity but below the single-day record of about 200,000 on Feb. 21, 2018.

Snow geese are doing well, but their large numbers have come with a cost.

According to a 2017 study published by Springer Nature, greater snow geese grew in population from about 3,000 in the early 20th century to some 700,000 by the 1990s.

By some estimates, there are about a million of the birds now — along with maybe 10 million of lesser snow geese, which are smaller — that also breed in the Arctic.

The number of migrating tundra swans at Middle Creek, while far lower, has also increased over time, from a dozen or so in the mid-1970s to 5,000 or more in recent years.

Middle Creek birders have also identified more than 280 bird species on the site, among them bald eagles, northern harriers, ospreys and owls.

As snow geese numbers have boomed in recent decades, wildlife officials in the U.S. and Canada have navigated a balancing act involving hunting regulations, concerns about crop damage, shifts in snow geese migration and changes to overwintering patterns.

Environmental damage from overgrazing in the Arctic has led experts to conclude the birds are overabundant.

David M. Bird, a McGill University wildlife biology professor, described the population as “probably one of the biggest conservation problems facing wildlife biologists in North America today.

Snow geese feed by pulling up plants by the roots, which damages habitats for themselves, various birds and other kinds of wildlife.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission reported recently that avian influenza viruses, present in the state since 2022, continue to circulate among the state’s wild birds.

The game agency asked for the public’s help in reporting sick or dead wild birds and reported that about 2,000 wild bird carcasses — mostly snow geese — had to be removed from a quarry a few miles north of Bethlehem in December and January.

Bird said that for nature lovers, snow geese can be a delight but for farmers, they’re a pest.

For hunters, they’re food but for animal rights advocates, they’re a species that needs protection, he said.

“But if you are a paid professional wildlife manager at a municipal, state or federal level whose challenging job is to try to please all of the aforementioned parties, then you will undoubtedly experience many sleepless nights in the fall when the geese arrive,” Bird said.