This Unique Montana Lake Is a Phenomenon for Animal Lovers

Much of Montana's landscape is impressive because of its size. The mountain ranges tower over everything, even when viewed from a distance. The rivers wend through grasslands and forests; the lakes stretch for miles.

Montana's open space creates a vastness that mimics looking at the ocean. One Montana lake seems to be part of this vastness as it is home to a unique phenomenon that happens in the spring and in the fall. If you've never seen the migration of snow geese at Freezeout Lake, you'll want to plan a visit.

Some Montanans say they travel to Freezeout Lake every year to see the avian spectacle, and each spring impressive images of the geese taking flight appear on social media.

READ MORE: 4 Bird Species to Look for in Montana During the Spring

Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks have created another "Fieldtrip" that gives some background on the migration that you might not have known. For example, did you know:

• the lake was created by glaciers but in the 1950s it was altered with ditches and other water management equipment to keep water in the area. There's some pretty amazing photos of the construction process in the video below.
• the location is ideally situated on the migration path which is why Montanans can see the flocks regularly, and the snow geese may travel as far north as Russia.
• Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks have staff that count the geese.

Watch the "Fieldtrip" below to learn about just how many geese pass through Freezeout Lake and how they count "three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional plane."

A much smaller place that feels a little like Freezeout Lake is the Big Lake Wildlife Management Area west of Molt, Montana. While you may not see nearly as many geese or the impressive takeoff when they begin their migration, this and other waterfowl areas around Montana are great places to visit, too.