What a wonderful experience it is to see and hear a large flock of geese flying overhead, huge wings flapping steadily up and down, heads and necks extended straight ahead, and webbed feet stretched out behind. The honking noise of a flock, whether in flight, making a landing, or on the surface of a pond or lakeshore, is often so great that people nearby have to shout to be able to hear one another.
Throughout most of Canada and the United States millions of geese-in many varieties-migrate south from the soon-coming cold winter of Arctic lands, Alaska, Canada and northern United States. Their destinations are the southern parts of the United States, Mexico, some Atlantic islands and even far-away Europe. While in the North they enjoyed abundant food, made nests and raised their young through the spring and summer, but now it is time for warmer southern spots.
In these southbound flights it is estimated about three million Canada geese follow the long-used four “flyways” stretching across Canada and the United States. In addition there are thousands of other species taking shorter trips to southern Oregon and California. Some also go to wintering places in New Mexico where a Rio Grande River Refuge awaits them and many other kinds of birds.
In late summer similar flocks head for reserves in southern and eastern United States. Many of these flocks gather in huge groups in the Hudson Bay area of Canada before starting the long journey south. At some mysterious signal leaders take off and others follow in a V-shaped formation. They travel about 30 miles per hour, usually around 7000 feet above ground, but some fly as low as 3000 feet. Some have been spotted by airplane pilots as high as 29,000 ft. (more than five miles high). How high they fly seems to depend on how long the flight will be, as well as how high the mountains are over which they will fly.
We might ask, “How do they know these things in advance?” Again the answer is that this knowledge that we will never understand is really part of the instincts given them by the Creator. In their long flights, which may take two weeks or more, stops are made along the way for resting and feeding.
How do these amazing birds know where to go when seasons change, and how do they know after a few months to return to the exact same nesting spots? Many experiments have been made to explain this, but the real answer is that the Creator gave the first pair these amazing instincts which have been passed on from one generation to the next.
Moses, who wrote the Bible verse at the beginning, possibly didn’t know about geese, but he called on his people to remember all God’s wonderful works that they were familiar with, as well as remembering what God had told them. We have the advantage of God’s written words in the Bible. Do you read it and remember it?
(to be continued)
ML-10/27/1991
OCTOBER 27, 1991