Fall going to the geese

Oak Hammock Marsh's resident 'Geese Geek' explains what Snow Geese are and what animals actually do during hibernation. Hint: they don't just sleep.

Jacques Bourgeois is passionate about geese. Evident in his love of nature, the Oak Hammock Marsh Communication and Marketing Coordinator says that the marsh is seeing gaggles of geese as they prepare to head down south.

"There is lots of energy in the air in the fall. I just love it," Bourgeois says as geese honk around him.

In the fall, geese prepare to make the trip south for the winter, as the cold climate is too harsh for the birds. Bourgeois says the geese gather at the marsh, eating and training. Watching them fly is an unforgettable experience for the communicator.

"At sunrise, when all the geese take off from the marsh it is like an explosion of feathers. It is like fireworks of geese in the sky."

At night when they return, Bourgeois enjoys the gaggles.

"You just see clouds and clouds of geese just covering the whole sky from every direction, and they all land behind you in the marsh."

While Manitobans are accustomed to the Canadian Goose, a white version called Snow Geese can be seen.

While the birds can be noticeable white, Bourgeois says they can also have a blue/grey body. He says the Snow Geese will spend a couple of weeks at the marsh in October before flying away.

As there are many types of geese, they will be arriving at the marsh at different times.

"The geese coming from the north, the Churchhill area, they might start coming here in a couple of weeks."

Geese are not the only animal who changes their habits in the fall. Many animals will soon be preparing to hibernate.

"There are some that are true hibernators, like the ground squirrels we have here at the marsh," Bourgeois says. "Nothing will wake them up. I could grab a shovel, dig them up, and play with them like little furballs and they would not wake up. This is a true hibernator."

Other times, animals such as bears, can wake up. He says the supper nappers lower their heart rate and sleep, but that they will wake up to eat and move around.