As fall progresses and birds make their way south, the Maumee River becomes a travel corridor for gulls, terns, ducks, geese and other shorebirds.

“From October through mid-December, the Rossford marina can host some interesting and sometimes unlikely species,” Rossford resident Bill Heban said.

This Snow Goose was one of those visitors, which Mr. Heban photographed in December 2019.

“Snow Geese almost always travel in flocks of at least several dozen, so this lone immature bird was a lucky find, and perhaps struggling to find its way on its first journey to a warmer clime,” he noted.

Snow Geese have apparently benefited from climate change, as their population continues to rise despite hunting being resumed in 1975.

Warmer temperatures on their tundra nesting grounds result in increased food resources for the goslings, he explained.

Providing a checklist for area bird watchers, Mr. Heban made the following suggestions.

“Besides this goose, I have also noted Bonaparte’s Gulls, Forster’s Terns, Pied-billed Grebes and other species joining the many Ring-billed Gulls at our marina,” he said.

A Rossford native, Mr. Heban is a wildlife lover and long-time photographer specializing in native fauna and flora of the Midwest. His stunning work has won numerous awards and has been featured in many publications.