I beg the indulgence of those birders south of Prince William County who
are probably up to here with the Barnacle Goose, but I think the
following is worth posting.
When I spoke with Laura Catterton on her cell phone, as she watched the
Barnacle Goose and Canadas at the miniature golf course, I asked her to
pass on to the other birders, that they should all take careful note of
the bands and their visible numbers and colors on the legs of the
Canadas with whom the Barnacle is associating. If the Canadas with whom
the Barnacle travels with can be determined to be from points north
like, oh say, Greenland, Svalbard, or Novaya Zemlya, this might be
useful information for those who ultimately decide if this Barnacle is a
wild bird. I hope everyone will keep this in mind when, not if, the bird
is spotted again over the week end.
I just received the following message from one of the observers of the
Barnacle at the golf course:
Ms. Sullivan--Please forward this information to the Virginia listserv (I am
not a subscriber) or the
Virginia records committee. I was with the couple from South Carolina when
they found the Barnacle
Goose at the miniature golf course off Eisenhower Avenue about noon. They
were pleased indeed.
Several of the Canada Geese with the Barnacle Goose on the miniature golf
course were banded. At
least four had aluminum bands. Two of those had their aluminum bands on the
right leg and a second
band on the left leg. The first had a black band with orange letters 'J42' at
the ankle. The second
had a black band the orange number '69' above the elbow. There may have been
another letter, but it
would have been obscured by feathers, even with the goose moving around. On
this goose, I could read
the number '69' on its aluminum band as well, but could not quite make out
the smaller letters below
the number. I would be interesting in know where and when these birds were
banded and whether this
sheds any light on the wild/escape question. .
As previously noted, the Barnacle Goose had very fresh, bright plumage and a
full complement of body
parts, including toes.
Regards, Michael Jennison, Washington
