FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Re: RFI: Barnacle Goose legitimacy

["Henry Brooks" <hbrooks-1@xxxxxxxx>]

This bird is not a Fairfax bird.  He is an Alexandria bird, just like our
Governor.
He resides now and has since sighted in Alexandria.  Cameron Run Regional
Park is not in Fairfax County.
Henry Brooks
----- Original Message -----
From: Steve and Heather Rottenborn <rottenborn@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <Gl1je1@xxxxxxx>; <va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2002 10:01 AM
Subject: [va-bird] Re: RFI: Barnacle Goose legitimacy


>
> In a message dated 2/3/02 7:16:50 AM Central Standard Time, Gl1je1@xxxxxxx
> writes:
>
> > I don't want to sound like a stick in the mud here, and I'm game for a
> > drive to Va., but how has it been determined that this bird is not an
> > escapee?
>
> Gary,
>
> Although I'm a member of the Virginia Avian Records Committee (VARCOM), my
> reply is intended to convey my opinion alone and does not represent an
> official view of VARCOM.
>
> In the case of this Barnacle Goose, there is no way to establish for
certain
> whether or not it is an escapee or a naturally occurring individual.  Just
> because it's not banded, its toes all seem to be intact, and it shows no
> abnormal feather wear does not mean that it's naturally occurring.  Many
> obvious escapees I've seen in North America (e.g., free-flying African
> finches, flamingos, and Black Swans in California) have similarly shown no
> signs of prior captivity, yet the probability of natural occurrence in
those
> cases was nil.
>
> Barnacle Geese are not too rare in captive waterfowl collections.  I don't
> know how many are kept in captivity on the East Coast, but in a brief
> perusal of the web I found several sites (those I found were in Tennessee,
> Kentucky, and Oklahoma, though I didn't do a thorough search) for
waterfowl
> farms selling Barnacle Geese for $125 each.  Not all captive waterfowl are
> pinioned, banded, or clipped, and I'm sure that some of these geese escape
> from time to time.
>
> On the other hand, Barnacle Goose is a legitimate candidate for natural
> vagrancy to Virginia, and I have no doubt that some of the birds seen in
> North America, particularly on the East Coast in winter, are naturally
> occurring birds from Greenland.  I've heard second- and third-hand reports
> of Barnacle Geese in several northeastern states this winter, and perhaps
> there has been a genuine influx of naturally occurring Barnacle Geese into
> the East Coast of North America this winter.  If this could be proven
(e.g.,
> if a Barnacle Goose banded in Greenland last summer were to be found in
New
> England this winter), this would lend more credence to the natural
> occurrence argument for the Fairfax bird.
>
> For records committees, the question of whether or not to accept an
> individual Barnacle Goose as being a naturally occurring bird comes down
to
> probability.  What is the probability that it is a naturally occurring
bird
> vs. an escapee that is not banded or toe-clipped?  Unfortunately, we don't
> have enough data on either side of the argument to make more than a guess.
> More conservative/cautious VARCOM members would probably vote to accept
this
> bird in Category 3, meaning that the identification has been established
and
> that the bird could possibly be naturally occurring but that it may also
be
> an escapee.  In the absence of other information, either suggesting that
it
> is a naturally occurring bird or an escapee, this is how I would probably
> vote on this particular record.  Other members may vote to accept it as a
> naturally occurring bird, so I don't know what VARCOM as a whole would
> decide on this record.
>
> Regardless of the origin of this bird or the arguments for or against its
> natural occurrence, two things are most important to keep in mind.  First,
> it's a great-looking bird, one that doesn't show up in a "wild",
free-flying
> condition in the state very often, one that a lot of birders would like to
> see, and one that has obviously brought a lot of Virginia (and DC, MD, and
> WV) birders closer through communication about it.  I'd like to see it,
and
> I'd urge anyone who wants to see it, photograph it, and count it on
whatever
> list they keep to do so regardless of its origin and regardless of what
> VARCOM eventually says about it.
>
> Second, it is important for people who see the bird to document this
> occurrence through written descriptions, photographs, and video and to
> submit this documentation to VARCOM.  The most important, yet often
> overlooked, function of VARCOM is to archive documentation of the state's
> avifauna for future reference.  In the case of species such as Barnacle
> Geese, in which the bird could be either an escapee or a naturally
occurring
> individual, the Committee's archival role is much more important than
> deciding whether or not the bird should be accepted as a naturally
occurring
> individual.  Decades from now, records committees may look back on the
> documentation of the Fairfax bird as important in helping to establish a
> pattern of natural vagrancy by Barnacle Geese.  Please, if you see this
> bird, submit a written description to VARCOM, and if you have photos of
the
> bird, please submit those as well.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Steve Rottenborn
> Dale City, VA
> rottenborn@xxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>
>
>
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