FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Cackling Goose at Britton Ford

[fekel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Ky Lakes area
Henry Co.
Wednesday, 11 January 2006
9am-3pm

I took a day off from work yesterday and went to look for
my life CACKLING GOOSE at Britton Ford.  With 44 seen
recently by Mike Todd, I thought I'd have a great chance
at finding at least one!

Since the goose was top priority, Britton Ford was my 
first stop.  Arriving about 9 am, there was a large flock
of SNOW GEESE, 150+, that seemed to be constantly circling 
the area with several ROSS' GEESE in the flock.  There 
were plenty of CANADA GEESE to look through but I did not
find a CACKLING GOOSE.

Heeding the call of my restless nature, I left Britton Ford and 
went next to Paris Landing, where there were plenty of gulls, 
nearly all RING-BILLED and BONAPARTE'S GULLs. On the sand bar 
south of the bridge were two ADULT BALD EAGLEs and the best
bird of the area, a MERLIN.

Returning to Britton Ford I again searched the geese flocks.
This time from the first viewing venue north of the viewing
deck, I got good looks at a single CACKLING GOOSE in close to 
shore, swimming by itself but in proximity to the large CANADA
GOOSE flock.  I was surprised that it did not look as small
as expected when seen with the CANADA GEESE, but did look quite
small when seen near MALLARD DUCKs.  At the viewing deck the
SNOW GOOSE flock finally decided to land, and I was able to
count 6 ROSS' GEESE in a quick run through the flock that had
many blue-phase SNOW GEESE in it.

I arrived at Pace Point about 1 pm.  As Mike Todd noted, there
were large numbers of AMERICAN WHITE PELICANs, likely well over 
50 birds, an impressive sight. I missed both the RED-NECKED and 
WESTERN GREBEs and saw only a few COMMON LOONs although numbers
of COMMON GOLDENEYE were very nice to see.

Although I covered much of the same area, I did not run into Mike
Todd and missed the grebes he found.  Timing and a little bit
of luck can certainly affect what one finds.


-- 
Frank Fekel
Tennessee State University
Center of Excellence in Information Systems
3500 John A. Merritt Boulevard
Box 9501
Nashville, TN 37209 USA

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