Every winter, thousands of snow geese make a stop in Colorado on their journey north.

To celebrate the annual migration, the southeastern Colorado town of Lamar hosts the High Plains Snow Goose Festival. This year's event is February 6-9. The festival features a number of free events, special speakers, and several fee-based guided tours. The Snow Goose Festival welcomes a host of bird watchers who flock to the area to catch a glimpse of the thousands of large, white geese that gather in area ponds, lakes, and fields.

The estimated snow goose population is estimated to be around 6 million, and many of those birds pass through Colorado on their way back to Canada, Alaska, or Greenland. It's estimated that at least 200,000 geese make the stop in Colorado. These white birds are characterized by their distinct black-tipped wings.

Typically it's early February when we expect the snow geese to show up and with any luck, visitors to the area will get a good look at the geese and have some great photo opportunities. It's more difficult than it sounds as these birds are very much isolationists and tend to sit out in the middle of the lake. If you get lucky, they'll fly right over you.

Doug Rudnik
Doug Rudnik
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If the idea of seeing the flight of the snow geese is appealing to you, grab your camera, pack your suitcase, and head to southeast Colorado. Maybe you'll get lucky and come back to Grand Junction with some amazing photos and stories to tell about these beautiful birds.

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