everything I read seems to think these are uncommon around here..and even go so far as to list them as rare in the winter months..yet I always see the little buggers...any thoughts???

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e82/gretchensteele/Album%20two/STLnBaldwin_1511_filtered.jpg

Migration patterns are changing. At one time not too long ago snow geese were also a rare sight in southern IL, and SoIL would hold a couple hundred thousand honkers in Jan. The good old days

Not many of them on the east side of SILO, I have seen a few but not many here in my neck of the woods.