Have a gander at this amazing image -
taken as 1.3million geese spectacularly take flight all at once -
creating the illusion it is snowing.
The stunning display of nature was captured by photographer Mike Hollingshead as he spent 22 days observing the huge gaggle at Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, in northwestern Missouri, this spring.
In one image, every inch of the landscape as far as the eye can see is packed with the white and grey birds. Another shows the sky blackened by the geese taking flight as they return to their natural summer breeding ground of central Canada.
The amazing spectacle occurs when
gaggles of Snow Geese converge on the Central Flyway migration route -
with the national park acting as an important stopover on the 70-hour,
2,500-mile flight.
Mr Hollingshead, 35, from Blair, Nebraska, quit his job at a factory in 2004 to take up storm chasing - where photographers follow large supercells that can form destructive tornadoes.
But he takes time out each spring to capture a storm of a different kind - the majestic migration of these wonderful birds.
He said: 'At times it can definitely look like there is a snow shower on the horizon. Your brain can be tricked into seeing nothing but the patterns of the birds flying because it can't see anything else.
'It is such an amazing thing to see.
I've experienced some truly crazy supercell storms, but I'd say these
huge concentrations of geese are just as much of a spectacle.
'They float down from high above in layers of massive gaggles of birds topping a thousand. It doesn't seem like it is new birds sometimes, almost like you are watching the same sequence of repeat, but the collection of them on the water just grows and grows until most everything is covered.
'I always find myself going back each day as I fear I might miss some even bigger and crazier displays. The goal becomes to get a shot of an even crazier mix and display of them going up in the air.
'This was by far the most I had ever captured, though, with roughly 1.3million thought to have been there that spring.'
Dedicated Mr Hollingshead spent days
patiently observing the animals as they came and went, waiting for the
best moments to get his shots.
On occasions, bald eagles would swoop in a bid to pick of weaker geese - sending the birds into a frenzied flap.
And the noise of the geese, who naturally migrate in unusually large flocks of between 100 and 1,000, creates a constant and deafening wall of squawking.
Mr Hollingshead, who made 11 trips in a row to the park to snap the natural phenomenon,
added: 'I have learned to take an mp3 player with me whenever I go to the refuge.
'The racket is near enough constant and, if your ears hear it all day, you can't get it out of your head.
'I've driven two hours home before and the noise has still been ringing in my ears. It is like a ringing that won't go away.
'But with some music it can be quite relaxing to just sit and chill watching them all day long. To witness such a magnificent spectacle in the flesh is easily worth putting up with the noise.'
Snow Geese spend the winter months in the warmer climes of the Gulf of Mexico before mass migrating back to their natural breeding grounds of central Canada in the summer.
Squaw Creek is an 11.5-square-mile refuge, which used to be a private hunting area before being converted to a protected wildlife park.
Snow Geese are rare visitors to the British Isles but they have been spotted at times among flocks of other birds including Barnacle and Greenland White-fronted geese.
The stunning display of nature was captured by photographer Mike Hollingshead as he spent 22 days observing the huge gaggle at Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, in northwestern Missouri, this spring.
In one image, every inch of the landscape as far as the eye can see is packed with the white and grey birds. Another shows the sky blackened by the geese taking flight as they return to their natural summer breeding ground of central Canada.
Artificial horizon: Photographer Mike
Hollingshead captures the amazing moment when up to 1.3million snow
geese continue their migration at Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge,
in northwestern Missouri
Mr Hollingshead, 35, from Blair, Nebraska, quit his job at a factory in 2004 to take up storm chasing - where photographers follow large supercells that can form destructive tornadoes.
But he takes time out each spring to capture a storm of a different kind - the majestic migration of these wonderful birds.
He said: 'At times it can definitely look like there is a snow shower on the horizon. Your brain can be tricked into seeing nothing but the patterns of the birds flying because it can't see anything else.
Don't bother counting: An estimated 1.3million
snow geese gather at the reserve, which is a former hunting ground and
now an important stop-over during their 2,500-mile flight to their
breeding grounds in Canada
'They float down from high above in layers of massive gaggles of birds topping a thousand. It doesn't seem like it is new birds sometimes, almost like you are watching the same sequence of repeat, but the collection of them on the water just grows and grows until most everything is covered.
'I always find myself going back each day as I fear I might miss some even bigger and crazier displays. The goal becomes to get a shot of an even crazier mix and display of them going up in the air.
'This was by far the most I had ever captured, though, with roughly 1.3million thought to have been there that spring.'
Snow goose: The bird is known for its white
plumage and black wingtips. It is also known as the blue goose because
of a blue-grey variation of its colour. The white and blue 'morphs' of
the species interbreed and can create offspring of either colour
On occasions, bald eagles would swoop in a bid to pick of weaker geese - sending the birds into a frenzied flap.
And the noise of the geese, who naturally migrate in unusually large flocks of between 100 and 1,000, creates a constant and deafening wall of squawking.
I have learned to take an mp3 player with me whenever I go to the refuge. The racket is near enough constant and, if your ears hear it all day, you can't get it out of your head'
'The racket is near enough constant and, if your ears hear it all day, you can't get it out of your head.
'I've driven two hours home before and the noise has still been ringing in my ears. It is like a ringing that won't go away.
'But with some music it can be quite relaxing to just sit and chill watching them all day long. To witness such a magnificent spectacle in the flesh is easily worth putting up with the noise.'
Snow Geese spend the winter months in the warmer climes of the Gulf of Mexico before mass migrating back to their natural breeding grounds of central Canada in the summer.
Squaw Creek is an 11.5-square-mile refuge, which used to be a private hunting area before being converted to a protected wildlife park.
Snow Geese are rare visitors to the British Isles but they have been spotted at times among flocks of other birds including Barnacle and Greenland White-fronted geese.
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