FreeLists / bristol-birds / [Bristol-Birds] Ross' Goose Rescue During Lake Tahoe Blizzard

[MerlinZ02@xxxxxxx]

I thought this was an interesting read.  I usually don't post things like 
this, but it is  nice to read a rescue story every now and again.
Rob Biller
Elizabethton, TN
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Wayward Goose Recovers at Lake Tahoe 

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) -- A rare, wayward goose is being treated at a 
Lake Tahoe wildlife center after winter storms forced it to take refuge in a 
most unlikely place - a ski resort.

Sierra-at-Tahoe employees discovered the lone Ross goose on Sunday, miles 
away from where the birds are usually found, in the California Central Valley.
"I think he was on his way north and got a little off course, probably 
because of the storms," said Tom Millham of Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care.
A series of fast-moving storms brought strong winds and heavy snow to the 
Sierra Nevada over the weekend.

"We will build him up a little bit right now, give him some tender loving 
care and send him on his way as the storm passes," Millham said.
Wildlife experts said Ross geese are among the smallest and rarest in the 
North America.

The goose was cold and afraid of the near-blizzard conditions at the ski 
resort but wouldn't let anyone near it. After employees spent several minutes 
chasing the bird, it flew into a building and suffered what Lake Tahoe Wildlife 
Care operators said was a mild concussion.

Aaron Barnes, pub manager at Sierra-at-Tahoe, wrapped the goose up and took 
it to the South Shore wildlife care facility.

Officials there said they hope to release the bird by the end of the week.
According to the "Birds of North America" field identification manual, the 
Ross goose is described as the smallest and rarest of the North American geese. 
It breeds in the Arctic and winters almost exclusively in California's Central 
Valley. It is similar to the snow goose but smaller.


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