Each winter, snow geese rest on the plains near Lamar

If you live in Prowers County, winter brings a sight worth slowing down for. Around Lamar, large flocks of snow geese stop on the plains during their migration, roosting on local ponds and reservoirs and flying out to feed in nearby fields.

These birds travel the Central Flyway, a broad north-south route that migrating birds follow across the Great Plains between Canada and the warmer south. Southeastern Colorado sits along that path. The scattered reservoirs around Lamar give the geese open water to roost on, and harvested grain fields nearby offer leftover grain to eat, which is why flocks gather here.

The migration is a seasonal event, not a year-round one. The geese tend to move through in the colder months, and the exact timing shifts a little from year to year with weather and conditions. A still, cold morning near a reservoir is often a good chance to see and hear them.

If you go looking, remember that many of the best viewing spots are working farm fields or State Wildlife Areas with their own access rules. It is worth watching from roads and public areas, and checking access before you walk onto any wildlife land.

To learn where waterfowl gather and what access each area allows, start with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and see the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for more on the flyways.