Day at Goose Pond WMA in Linton, Indiana

Submitted by Julie Barrick

Last week MaryBeth and I made a trip to Goose Pond Wildlife Management Area in Linton, Indiana on a birding expedition. It was a three hour drive, so we vacillated on whether it would be worth it or not to go. Turned out...It WAS!

We stopped off at the Goose Pond Visitors Center when we first arrived. It is a sight to see in itself. The entire back of the building is a walled off glass area overlooking some of the ponds. It is perfect for cold weather wildlife viewing.

We eventually headed out in search of various birds on this 9,000 acre expanse. We were told there were many parking areas all around and it was okay to use any of them. You can also get out of your car and walk anywhere. The girl at the Visitor Center even said the ponds were 90% frozen and it is fine to walk on them. (We chose not to do so).

However after driving around and spotting only a few Sandhill Cranes, we decided to park the car and get out and take a hike. It was 19 degrees with a wind chill of 8 degrees, but it turned out to be one of our best hikes ever! We hiked a little ways and started seeing thousands of Sandhill Cranes. After a few more minutes we noticed the sky was filled with American White Pelicans mixed with A great many cranes.

Then off in the distance, we saw tens of thousands of snow geese. They were absolutely everywhere! We also spotted some swans. Because they were some distance away we were not sure if they were Tundra Swans or Trumpeter Swans. The only thing we did not see were the elusive Whooping Cranes.

This place is a birders paradise! Next year the Nature Group will definitely have to make a road trip there when all of these amazing birds return.

I sure do love spring, but I am going to miss all the incredible birds that come through this region during the winter. They are certainly very special!