There well may be dozens of such birds in the area right now. At some point
this past weekend l heard"The Emperor Goose is in Clark County right now."
How do we know there's only one? There's certainly more than 100,000
Cacklers sloshing between Eugene and Ridgefield.
The bill on the bird in the photo Phil K has kindly provided strikes me as
quite elongated and much more reminiscent of cærulescens( how l miss
"hyperborea") than rossii. As for body size as a field mark, we just had a
literary brush with the famed pygmy crows of Yachats.
On Thu, Dec 5, 2019, 7:03 AM Jeff Gilligan <jeffgilligan10@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi Philip
It is probably the same bird that flew over Steven Rogers and me about two
weeks ago. I can say that is dramatically smaller than the Snow Geese it
was with, and that the calls were that of Ross’ Goose, easily distinguished
from the calling Snow Geese.
I am not sure that it can be determined from the photo how warty or not
warty the bill base is. The grin patch looks OK for a Ross’ Goose to me.
I think the grin patch in the photo is OK for Ross’.
Jeff
On Dec 4, 2019, at 9:09 PM, Philip Kline <pgeorgekline@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Illustrative plate from the Reeber Guide. Bottom two are Ross's, top
three are hybrids.
On Wed, Dec 4, 2019, 9:02 PM Philip Kline <pgeorgekline@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Great photo Owen and perfect for the following discussion. Colby and I
have been discussing whether this bird is possibly a hybrid or within the
range of individual variation for a male Ross's Goose. Features good for
Ross's are rounded head shape with steep forehead making an angle withe the
bill, straight vertical line made by the feathering at the base of the
bill, and very small size (bird actually appeared slightly smaller than
nearby minima Cackling Geese). Features indicating possible hybridization
with Snow Goose are the longish bill with maybe a slightly pinched tip and
a hint of a grin patch, and the dull olive-colored, smooth base to the bill
(pure Ross's usually more blue-gray sometimes with warty carbuncles).
Feedback is welcome.
Philip Kline
On Wed, Dec 4, 2019, 7:48 PM Owen Schmidt <oschmidt@xxxxxxx> wrote:
…….. this afternoon, found by Colby Neuman, seen by others, off NW
Reeder Road, just short of Reeder Beach RV Park. Longitude: 122° 46'
26.652” W Latitude: 45° 42' 39.72” N. Single bird with dozens of Snow
Geese and many thousands of Cackling Geese.
oschmidt@xxxxxxx
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
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