PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The annual migration of snow geese, which attracts thousands of visitors to a Lancaster County wildlife area at this time of year, has begun.
Lauren Ferreri, a manager at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area,
said the location is a hot spot for visitors from Philadelphia and the suburban counties.
Ferreri said the coronavirus pandemic forced the closing of the visitor center last March. However, state game commission staff are still on site to guide people to the best viewing spots.
"Willow Point Trail is 1 mile total," she explained. "It's about a half-mile out and a half-mile back that people can go right down to the main lake and see all the snow geese. It's usually the busiest."
Before making the drive, Ferreri recommended checking out an online presentation about the site.
"There's a video that explains what to anticipate and there's also an interactive — we call it a story map," she said. "It's basically a platform that has all the information about snow geese natural history, history of Middle Creek and why the snow geese are coming to Middle Creek."
The most common question they get, according to Ferreri: When is the best time to see the majestic birds?
"Around sunrise. If you can get there before sunrise, that would be preferable because then you can see them take off from the lake," she advised. "Or, around sunset when they're all coming back into the lake."
Ferreri said in this era of COVID-19, there is still a way to visit safely.
The site offers a driving tour that begins weekends in February and daily in March.
"People can drive through the property in their vehicle, they don't even have to get out," she said. "And we also have an audio tour that they can listen to that tells them more about snow geese history a little more about Middle Creek."
Ferreri said they've also put in another feature to make it easier to keep track of the snow geese.
"We installed a live webcam last year that allows people to see the lake from the comfort of their own home and it's actually a rotating or panoramic view," she said. "And it shows you the entire area where the snow geese like to be during the time that they spend here."
Whether you go or watch from home, she emphasized the best time to check out the snow geese activity is around sunrise or close to sunset.
