Then as they take off, flying in their perfect V formation, they begin to honk – very, very loudly. Every few minutes another flock can be heard coming from the west field. Honk. Honk. Honk. We can hear them long before we see them.
Why do they cause such a ruckus? With a little googling, I found out that their honking allows the geese to locate each other, in order to avoid hitting one another. Makes sense. Secondly, their honking is a way of encouraging one another, in order to keep up flock morale. Supposedly by honking, geese are able to communicate their mutual success. If that is the case, the geese flying overhead are quite the cheerleaders.
Debbie, I grew up beside a little lake, near the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. When the geese were migrating, they would stop on our lake. As they approached, the sky would turn dark and the noise was unimaginable. Hundreds and hundreds of them would land at once. Our entire little village would run down to the lake to watch them come in! It was an incredible sight! Thanks for your story, Kathy Gray
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