See thousands of geese at the annual Delta Snow Goose Festival

You can see thousands of snow and Ross’ geese at this year's Snow Goose Festival. Photo: Courtesy of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

UTAH —  Major flyways across the country have the visuals of millions of birds migrating while some species congregate in large flocks; the visual of geese taking over all or part of a reservoir is an eye-opening event. This phenomenon is celebrated yearly at the Delta Snow Goose Festival, where as many as 20,000 geese will congregate.

This year’s event will take place on February 24 and 25 at Gunnison Bend Reservoir, west of the town of Delta. The festival will also host a viewing event put on by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, where biologists will be on hand to answer questions.

The thousands of geese are primarily snow geese. Their bodies are almost entirely white, with only the tips of their wings being black. Depending on the time of day, the geese will be located in different areas. In the morning, the geese will feed in the fields around the reservoir until sometime between 9 and 10:30 a.m. when they return to the reservoir.

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“Seeing those thousands of geese in flight makes for incredible photos,” said Adam Kavalunas, DWR Southern Region Outreach Manager. “Watching and hearing the geese take off can take your breath away. It’s a great family activity, and we encourage you to come out and see these amazing birds in flight.”

In the afternoons, the geese will fly back to the fields sometime between 4 and 6 p.m. DWR biologists will watch for which field the geese are feeding in and will direct waters to those areas should the viewer arrive after they have left the reservoir.

DWR recommends that those attending bring binoculars or a spotting scope to have the best experience and come prepared for cold, wet weather.

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