There were already tens of thousands of geese in the fields making an enormous racket with Vs backed up to the north as far as the eye could see. The fields were so packed with geese I wondered how any more could fit in, but, with much squawking, they did. Marvelous.

More daylight for birding! Keep your feeders and water features stocked, especially if we hit some cold snaps or get a decent snowfall.

The most memorable sighting of the day was what looked like a snow squall off in the distance. But it became obvious as they drew closer that it was a flock of more than a thousand snow geese swirling in a vortex that approached the lead car and engulfed it like a snow goose tornado.

While the number of Bald Eagles we have seen has varied from as few as 8 to as many as 49 in the areas we are able to count, just seeing 1 perched in a tree or flying overhead makes the survey well worth the long trip.