A close-up of some of the thousands of Aleutian geese that have been arriving in Humboldt County, California over the last two weeks soar high over the Freshwater Slough pasture lands laying east of Humboldt Bay on Monday afternoon.

Aleutian geese were put on the endangered species list in 1967 because of extremely low population numbers. At the time of the federal threatened and endangered species de-listing in 2001, their population had reached a sustainable level of 60,000 to 70,000. The current population level is estimated to be above 115,000. Aleutian geese have joined just a handful of "fully recovered" species such as the gray whale and peregrine falcon, yet their success in returning presents a threat to the early spring growth on local pasture lands, an essential food source for local livestock.