Greater snow geese

Greater snow geese are found during spring and fall in the Atlantic flyway, along the Saint-Lawrence River, between Rimouski, east of Québec city and Montréal west of Québec city. In the early nineteen eighties, the greater snow goose population was estimated at about 100,000 individuals.

During their annual fall and spring migration, they then all stopped at Cap-Tourmente, near Québec City. For about one month, they wandered in the islands nearby, mostly at Ile-aux-Grues in the middle of the Saint-Lawrence River and on the south shore of the river in Montmagny.

When the geese stop there for about 1 month in October each year, they feed on rhizomes, a plant that grows on the sandbanks of the St-Lawrence River.

Since the early nineteen eighties, the population has increased dramatically to a peak of around 1,000,000 individuals. That number is considered too large a population to support for the fragile ecosystem of the far north , where the snow geese breed.

The lack of food for that number of geese in Cap-Tourmente, Ile-aux-Grues and Montmagny as also favoured the spreading of the flock during their migration.They go in farmers fields around that area, in search for other food like corn and other cereals. The greater snow geese have also spread out all along the Saint-Lawrence River from Rimouski east to Montréal west.

During certain periods in October and May, as many as 300,000 greater snow geese can be seen flying around in the Cap-Tourmente, Montmagny area.

While the area of Cap-Tourmente, the islands nearby, l'Ile-aux-Grues and Montmagny all remain places of choice for the snow geese. Other areas, like Baie-du-Fèvre (between Québec and Montréal), St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, south of Montréal, have also become great gathering spots for the greater snow geese.

See the statistics for greater snow geese atCap-Tourmente here, and Note that the snow geese are not in as large number in spring as they are in the fall. In the spring, there is not much food on the sandbanks of the St-Lawrence River and less farm fields on the North of the river. For that reason, the geese prefer to be south of the river, where they find lots of cornfields and other cereals to feed on.

snow geese population. The limit of harvested birds a hunter is allowed is 20 birds per day and a possession limit of 60 birds.

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