Jan. 19, 2011 Tunica Co. MS Just south of Memphis, TN Today, while scanning the hordes of gulls around the landfill, I started looking at the huge numbers of geese that have moved back into the area over the past few days. Large blocks consisting of Snow, Blue, Cackling (11), White-fronts and Ross's were falling into all the surrounding fields. Large groups of Ross's were noted in the multi-thousands of Snows and White-fronts with Ross's totals topping 4-500 in just 3 fields. A few years back, Mike Todd found a blue morph Ross's in TN and while I was photographing that bird I found a second. These birds are a rare form even in the Ross's home wintering grounds in California so really a rarity here in the east. Kenny and LaDonna Nichols found 3 in a huge flock of Ross's in AR this year on a Christmas Count (would you believe over 10,000 Ross's over there plus a Barnacle Goose!!) Today, I found 2 blue morph birds about 2 miles apart and was successful in photographing both birds. They stand out from Blue Snows in many ways besides their size. First, they are almost blue-black next to the grayish colored Blues and there is twice the white on their tertials. The black or dark blue runs up the back of the neck and curves over the crown and of course the small gray based pink bill and the vertical almost straight cut of white feathering at the bill base. As soon as I get my photo-shop program back up and running I'll post the photos. If interested you might look at the photos of the TN Birds at: _http://www.pbase.com/ol_coot/goose_ (http://www.pbase.com/ol_coot/goose) Jeff R. Wilson / TLBA 6300 Memphis-Arlington Road Bartlett, TN 38135 http://www.pbase.com/ol_coot/ What is this feathered thing that lifts my heart to the heavens? =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation. You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds you report were seen. The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should appear in the first paragraph. _____________________________________________________________ To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx _____________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. ______________________________________________________________ TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ------------------------------ Assistant Moderator Andy Jones Cleveland, OH ------------------------------- Assistant Moderator Dave Worley Rosedale, VA -------------------------------- Assistant Moderator Chris O'Bryan Clarksville, TN __________________________________________________________ Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ARCHIVES TN-Bird Net Archives at //www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/ MAP RESOURCES Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com _____________________________________________________________